Overview
- The agency's June-quarter report, released Wednesday, shows amphetamine-type stimulants made up 60% of all positive workplace drug tests, a 17.9% rise year-on-year.
- Workplace cocaine detections in New Zealand climbed nearly 70% year-on-year with big increases in Canterbury and Otago, the agency said.
- Opioid detections fell about 36% year-on-year to 11.6% of positives, and drugs were found in roughly 3% of all workplace screens, a rate broadly unchanged from recent quarters.
- The report highlights stark regional hotspots: Western Australia for methamphetamine, South Australia for cocaine, Queensland for cannabis, and Victoria for opioids.
- The agency, which conducts about 250,000 workplace tests a year, warned employers to update drug-and-alcohol policies and testing programs and noted its data mainly covers safety-sensitive workplaces but is expanding into white-collar sectors.