Do you think that drug use does not have a significant effect on business in this country? Then consider this: Of the estimated 17.9 million current illicit drug users (aged 18 and older), 13.4 million of them are employed full or part time.

This means that 13.4 million of the U.S workforce is working impaired. And what does “impaired” mean? The effects of marijuana, the most commonly abused drug, include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination and increased heart rate. Effects of cocaine, the drug in second place, include heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, and bizarre or violent behavior.

The Small Business Administration estimates that substance abusers are 33 percent less productive and each one costs their employers $7,000 annually. As much as 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse, and drug-using employees are nearly four times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident. The National Council on Compensation Insurance states that 38 to 50 percent of all workers’ compensation claims are related to substance abuse.