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Test results based on more than seven million workplace drug tests indicate a steady decline in workplace drug use over the last 15 years. As encouraging as this news is, substance abuse remains a serious problem in corporate America, exacting a high price in lost productivity, injuries and insurance claims.

According to Quest Diagnostics, which provides workplace drug tests, workplace drug use declined in 2002 to the lowest level since 1988. The company said 4.4 percent of the employees they tested last year were positive for drugs, compared with 4.6 percent in 2001 and 13.6 percent in 1988.

The company's test results also reveal a new specific trend in workplace drug use: employees testing positive for mphetamine use is on the rise. Among all workplace drug tests, 0.34 percent came back positive for amphetamines in 2002 which is up from 0.29 percent in 2001 and 0.20 percent in 1988. Amphetamines are in a category of drugs called stimulants and are used to relieve fatigue and increase alertness.