In January, Psychemedics Corp.—a global leader in hair testing for drugs of abuse— announced it was moving its headquarters from Acton, Massachusetts, to Dallas. Now making a home at Spring Valley Center off the Dallas North Tollway, the company has just released its inaugural Insights Report on drug trends in the U.S. workplace.

The “groundbreaking” report draws insights from a vast dataset of hair samples collected and analyzed in 2023, the company said. 

Founded in 1987, Psychemedics is one of the pioneers in the field of hair testing. It says it has “identified more drug users for more companies than any hair testing company in the world.” A public company (Nasdaq: PMD), Psychemedics reported $5.4 million in revenue in Q1 2024 alone.

How Psychemedics snagged the samples

To prepare its Insights Report, Psychemedics says it collected “hundreds of thousands” of hair samples from individuals across diverse industries and regions. Leveraging advanced analytical techniques, its team “meticulously analyzed these samples to detect a wide range of drugs and metabolites, forming the foundation of the insights.”

“In our inaugural report, Psychemedics is proud to unveil a comprehensive analysis of workplace drug use trends,” President and CEO Brian Hullinger said in a statement. “As an industry leader in hair testing, Psychemedics remains committed to advancing the field of drug testing and providing innovative solutions to create safer and more productive workplaces.”

Some key findings of the report, per the company:

• Positive Rate for Drugs Tested: An overall positive rate of 9.5% underscores the significant presence of drug use in the workplace.
• Trend Over 5 Years: Over the past five years, our analysis revealed a notable 23% increase in positive drug test rates across various industries.
• Marijuana, Cocaine, and Opiates: These substances maintained a notable presence, with marijuana being the most commonly detected.
• Rising Trend in Fentanyl: An alarming increase in fentanyl presence over the last couple of years emphasizes the urgency for targeted interventions and testing.

The company says its report “serves as a vital resource for employers, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to understand and address the complex challenges posed by drug use in the workforce.” It believes the findings serve as “a testament to the efficacy and advantages of hair testing as the premier method for employment drug screening.”

Founder made headlines by testing the hair of the 19th-century poet John Keats

Psychemedics was founded in the 1980s by Dr. Werner Baumgartner, who caused global headlines by procuring a few strands of hair from the long-dead English Romantic poet John Keats. While the poet’s death had been linked to tuberculosis, Baumgartner found he’d been taking a significant amount of opium before he died, potentially as a painkiller to deal with his condition. 

With the technique growing in scientific and public acceptance, Baumgartner launched Psychemedics to provide hair drug testing for sectors where drug use can be particularly dangerous—including factories where heavy equipment is used, the mining industry, as well as for financially sensitive businesses such as casinos, banks, and retail stores.

On its website, Psychemedics says it’s the only hair drug testing company “with patented technology to extract virtually 100% of the drug from the hair and identify both types and quantity consumed for up to 90 days.” 

The company says it has helped “Fortune 500 companies, numerous international organizations, many of the largest police departments, transportation companies, rehabilitation programs, manufacturing companies, schools, service/gaming companies, and parents worldwide” through its team of scientists, toxicologists, lab technicians, program consultants, and a network of industry experts.

You can access the full Insights Report and learn more about the company’s hair testing solutions by going here.

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