General Drug and Alcohol Statistics
Worker's Compensation Statistics
- According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the average cost of drug abuse per employee annually is $10,000 due to employee turnover, Workers Compensation claims, absenteeism, employee theft, violence on the job and the use of health care benefits.
- The average cost of a Workers Compensation claim is $1574 and the average cost of a lost time claim is $5,574.
(WCB Alberta, Provincial Synopsis, 2008)
- When there is employee drug abuse in the workplace, annually, there is:
- 5 times more Workers Compensation claims
- 30% greater employee turnover
- 40 versus 4 days of employee absenteeism
- 36 times higher employee theft
- 300 - 400% more health care benefit utilization
- A greater chance of workplace violence (66% of those arrested in such incidences test positive)
(National Instiutute on Drug Abuse)
- 5 times more Workers Compensation claims
Alcohol Statistics
- Alcohol use is the most prevelant form of workplace substance abuse
- It is consumed most frequently by those in managerial positions and the heaviest by those in "blue collar" positions
- Current alcohol use is reported most frequently among those in the financial, upstream oil, forestry/mining and construction industries
- Up to 10% of the labour force can be classified as heavy drinkers
(Roger K. McDougall, Canadian Workplace Alcohol and Drug Programs)
- It is consumed most frequently by those in managerial positions and the heaviest by those in "blue collar" positions
- One in 10 (11%) Alberta workers reported using alcohol while at work
- 4% reported using alcohol four hours prior to coming to work during the previous 12 months
- It is estimated that 184,118 Alberta workers had consumed alcohol at work during the previous 12 months
(Alcohol Use and the Alberta Workplace 1992-2002)
- 4% reported using alcohol four hours prior to coming to work during the previous 12 months
- 20 million Americans (8% of the total population) are current (within one month) illicit drug users. Canadian statistics fall in line very closely with American statistics.
(National Survey on Drug Abuse, 2008, SAMHSA)
- In 2006, the last year for which data is available, drug-induced deaths in the United States were higher than gun-related deaths and ranked second to car accidents.
(Office of National Drug Control Policy)
- 15% of employed Americans abused drugs within the past year.
(National Survey on Drug Abuse, 2008, SAMHSA)
- In Canada, 8% of the labour force report that they are current illicit drug users
- Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug, and its use by Canadian adults is on the upswing.
(Roger K. McDougall, Canadian Workplace Alcohol and Drug Programs)
- Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug, and its use by Canadian adults is on the upswing.
- The most serious offence for 65% of women in federal prisions and 29.1% of women in state prisons is violation of drug laws.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2003)
- In the world over 15 million people use illicit opiates (opium, heroin and morphine) annually. The value of the global opiate market is estimated at US$ 65 billion.
(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, "Addiction, Crime and Insurgency: The transnational threat of Afghan opium, 2009)
- Over a person's lifetime they are likely to be prescribed more than 14,000 pills.
(BBC Special "Pill Poppers)
Other Statistics
- One of the triggers for employee drug testing and alcohol testing in North America began over 20 years ago. Up to one third of the United States military abused drugs during the early 1980's. The catalyst for a Federal Mandated Drug Testing Program came in 1981 with a catastrophic explosion on the aircraft carrier USSN Nimitz, where an investigation revealed that a number of sailors and airmen were abusing drugs.
(National Survey on Drug Abuse, 2008, SAMHSA)
- While only an indirect indicator, Canada is second highest in the world for prescription of benzodiazepenes (also called tranquilizers/sleeping pills), fifth highest for prescription narcotic and within the top 15 for stimulant use
- Benzodiazepene (e.g. Valium, Xanax and Ativan) use in Canada is four times that of Australia and 15 times that of the United States
(Prescription Drug Use in Canada and the Diversion of Prescription Drugs into the Illicit Drug Market, Canadian Journal of Public Health, Nov-Dec 2005)
- Benzodiazepene (e.g. Valium, Xanax and Ativan) use in Canada is four times that of Australia and 15 times that of the United States
- The overall cost of substance abuse for Alberta is $4.4 billion ($1,414 per capita)
- Of that total, $1.6 billion was spent on alcohol and $1 billion was spent on illegal drugs
- 63% of the $4.4 billion was attributed to productivity losses
(Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada, 2002)
Alberta Drug and Alcohol Statistics
Oil & Gas Industry Statistics
Construction Industry Statistics
Transportation Industry Statistics
Manufacturing Industry Statistics
Forestry Industry Statistics
Mining Industry Statistics
