INCREMENTAL PROHIBTION:

Drugged on the job? Today's tests make it easy to figure out (DALIA FAHMY, 5/21/07, THE NEW YORK TIMES)

"The drug and alcohol issue is a concern for America," said Mary Wheeler, co-owner of Wheeler Landscaping in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. She began screening job applicants five years ago and now randomly tests her 76 employees. "Until you have a drug-free workplace, you don't realize how prevalent it is."

Companies lose $82 billion in productivity each year because of substance abuse, the federal government estimates. Now, a growing number of employers are fighting back with workplace drug programs. They say better technology has made drug screening more reliable, while insurance discounts and government grants have made it cheaper.

The math is simple. More than three-quarters of America's 14.8 million drug users have jobs. Drug users are almost four times as likely to be involved in a workplace accident as sober workers and five times as likely to file a workers' compensation claim, according to government data. Drug users miss more days of work, show up late and change jobs more often. The cost of a drug test, meanwhile, is usually less than $50.