SANTIAGO – A Global Partners study revealed a 10% increase of drug use while on the job. The study highlights a reality in which drug use is far from under control, despite intense efforts. According to the study, a principal cause of drug use during work hours is stress.
Global Partners, a company dedicated to the prevention of the use of alcohol and drugs in the workplace, published a study called “¿Su Empresa da positivo?” (Does your company test positive?).
The report revealed that 20.4% of employees in companies without relevant control mechanisms consume alcohol and drugs. When Global Partners last measured such behavior in 2016, the figure was 14.9%.
Half the workers who admitted to drug use in the workplace said they smoked marijuana and 22.4% said they used cocaine.
But numbers differ starkly for companies that sporadically implement drug tests. In such enterprises, only 6.05% of workers tested positive, a drop from the 2016 figure of 8.1%.
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Drugs at work “because of hedonism”
Drug use is an important problem for correct workplace development. Online daily El Mostrador reported that several studies found that 30% of all work accidents involve alcohol or drugs.
But, what causes workers to use drugs? The Global Partners study says that the use of these substances can be traced to “hedonism and evasion of problems.”
Also, the report shows a principal cause of drug use during work hours is “the stress induced by: labor pressure, the system of shifts, commuting time and monotony,” among others.
It starts at school
Chile does not only have a problem with drugs problem in the workplace. The substance abuse watchdog, SENDA, found that Chile has the highest number of drug use among the school population in the region.
According to the report, 1 of 3 teenagers between 13 and 17 years has used marijuana. Marijuana is followed by tranquilizing drugs, which 8.6% used, and tobacco and cocaine with 4.3% and 3%, respectively.
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Nelson Quiroz is Chile Today´s photographer. He also writes about youth culture and fashion, and often contributes with photo series during marches and protests.