TRUE FACE OF DRUG USE

Research Disputes Image Of Abusers As Derelicts

Seventy percent of illicit-drug users work full time and are not the
popularly depicted unemployed person on the street, according to a federal
report released Wednesday.

Nearly 8 percent of adult workers between the ages of 18 and 49 - an
estimated 6.3 million people - had used illegal drugs in the month
preceding the 1997 interviews by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. The interviews found that the most likely
illicit-drug user was a white man working for a business with fewer than 25
employees.

"When you look at the ratio breakdown, it reminds us that the stereotype we
often see and hear is not occurring," said Westley Clark, director of the
administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

"The typical drug abuser is not poor and unemployed," agreed Barry
McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, in a written statement. "He or she can be a co-worker, a husband or
wife, a parent."

Marijuana was the most commonly cited illicit drug, with 81 percent of
respondents reporting they had used it. Of those, more than 60 percent said
they used marijuana exclusively.

Others reported using various drugs in the month before the interviews.
About 19 percent used sedatives or tranquilizers, and 11.9 percent used
cocaine.

The incidence of drug use was highest among food-service and construction
workers.

The report found that 19 percent of food-preparation workers, waiters,
waitresses and bartenders had used illegal drugs. Dr. Clark attributed this
to irregular working hours, stress and greater accessibility to drugs.

At least 14 percent of construction workers interviewed admitted drug use,
while 13 percent of other service industry personnel and 10 percent of
transportation industry employees said they used drugs in the month before
the interview.

One expert said drug use is more common in those industries because the
workforce is generally younger. While drug use among teens is down, it has
not decreased among 18- to 25-year-olds, many of whom work in these
industries, said Joseph Califano, Jr., president of the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. "It's troubling that
so many American workers have used drugs," Mr. Califano said. "But it's a
wonderful opportunity for employers, businesses and unions to get at this
problem and educate employees about the dangers of using drugs.

Paul Paz , president of the Oregon-based National Waiters Association,
which represents an estimated 2,500 people nationwide, said few restaurants
use drug testing for their hourly employees.

"Essentially employers are the ones in a position to influence this," he
said. "If they had to let 19 percent of all of their staff go, they'd be in
a world of hurt.

There's a business perspective that we'll tolerate it to a point until
there is a serious jeopardy to the bottom line."

Exploring options

Restaurants are aware of the problem and are exploring solutions, including
employee-assistance programs, said Caitlin Storhaug,a spokeswoman for the
Chicago-based National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

"It's an ongoing issue in many industries, and we want to solve the
problem," Ms. Storhaug said. "There's not a one-size-fits-all,
silver-bullet answer for any industry. Every company is going to have to
cater to their environment and their employees."

Dr. Clark said it is imperative for companies to develop drug policies.

"Workplace policies matter," he said.

Workers who reported their employer did not have a written drug policy were
twice as likely to use drugs than those whose company had a policy, Dr.
Clark said. Similarly, employees not subjected to random drug testing were
twice as likely to use drugs than those who underwent regular testing.

Stringent random drug testing policies have enabled Dallas Area Rapid
Transit to keep the rate of drug use to less than 2 percent of its
1,800-employee workforce, said Ben Gomez, vice president of human resources.

"Our workforce is used to knowing that coming to work and going home, some
people are going to get tested," Mr. Gomez said. "It happens on a regular
basis."

Random testing occurs almost daily - DART tests 50 percent of its
safety-sensitive positions for drug use each year. First-time offenders
have access to treatment unless it is a post-accident test, Mr. Gomez said.

Years of survey

The report released Wednesday examined data from 7,055 respondents in 1994
and 7,957 respondents in 1997 who were working more than 35 hours a week at
the time of the interview.

The two industries with the highest incidence of drug use - food service
and construction - also provided employees the least amount of information
about drugs, the study found.

The report also showed that only 27 percent of workers in the smallest
companies had access to an employee-assistance program. By comparison, 61
percent of employees in midsize and 75 percent in large companies had
access to programs.

"We believe smaller companies probably figure that their bottom line
doesn't permit it," said Dr. Clark.

He also said he believes record-low unemployment may be contributing to the
problem. In a competitive job market, employers may look the other way, Dr.
Clark said.

"Employers will say 'I won't see what's obvious until it's completely
obvious.' "