THE COUNT: WORKERS MAY LIE ABOUT DRUG USE, BUT HAIR DOESN'T

Ever since employer drug testing of job applicants and other workers
took hold in the 1980s, the share of people who have tested positive
for drug use has steadily declined. That's according to data from
Quest Diagnostics, which administers many of those tests.

Between January and June of this year, 3.5 percent of Quest urine
samples showed signs of either illegal drug use or use of drugs like
amphetamines, Quest says. That compares with 4.6 percent in 1999 and
12.7 percent in 1989.

But let's face it -- some job applicants may stop their drug use
temporarily in anticipation of a test, or they may even find a way to
cheat. The people in this category might face a new challenge: the
hair test, a newer technology gaining acceptance among a small but
growing number of employers.

"Testing of urine specimens can detect a single instance of drug use
in the prior one to three days, while hair testing can detect a
pattern of repetitive use over a period of up to 90 days," Quest says.