Five per cent of employer-mandated drug tests in Helsinki region give positive result
Helsinki area gets more positive tests than other parts of Finland
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As many as five per cent of drug tests mandated by employers indicate use of an illegal substance. The most commonly detected drugs are cannabis, amphetamines, and opiates.
"Certain substances can be used both as medicines and as recreational drugs, such as morphine. The final conclusion on what kind of use is involved is in the hands of the doctor giving the treatment", says Jukka Hurme, head physician of the Vita Laboratory.
"In the whole country, drug use is revealed in about two per cent of tests, and in the Helsinki region, the figure is higher", says Juha Teirilä, Chief Medical officer of the S-Group retail chain.
"If those being tested are young men with little education, the percentage is clearly above the average."
The greatest number of tests are conducted among employees of the chemical industry, transport, energy production, and security services.
Antti Leinonen, head chemist at United Laboratories Ltd., estimates that employers around Finland commission between 50,000 and 100,000 drug tests each year.
Drug tests occur in both pre-employment examinations and later, if an employer suspects that an employee may be using drugs, and if drug-use while at work is seen to pose a significant danger.
Kari-Pekka Martimo, head occupational health physician at the private health care company Mehiläinen, points out that ethical issues surrounding drug testing remain unresolved.
"Does testing work as it is hoped - that people will learn, stop using drugs, and then get some other job? Or could this, at worst, promote marginalisation and continued drug use?" he ponders.
"The law requires that if tests are taken, the workplace must have a model for guiding employees into treatment. But if a test is administered before there is an employment contract, then the job-seeking process usually ends there, and seeking treatment is up to the individual alone", Martimo continues.
Juha Teirilä does not believe that drug tests marginalise anyone.
"The starting point is that if a person has a problem, that person should first deal with it, and not come to work to deal with the problem."
He says that the S-Group tests about 2,000 people for drugs, and that just over 20 samples give indications of drug use.
"I strongly feel that we do not intervene actively enough in people's substance abuse problems. For many young people, intervention by an employer can be the first time", Teirilä adds.
At the Finnish railway operator VR, head physician Otso Ervasti says that only scattered positive test results occur among VR employees.
"In other European countries, 10-15 per cent of people seeking employment on the railways give positive drug tests. We must be prepared that our youth is not any worse at learning."
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 22.2.2007 - TODAY |
 Five per cent of employer-mandated drug tests in Helsinki region give positive result |
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