Social Issues in the Corporate Sector: Drug Abuse in the Workplace

The impact of drug abuse on personal lives is one side of the drug abuse epidemic; another is the loss of productivity in the workplace.  From an organizational view, the impact of drug abuse translates to a decrease in the efficiency of business operations and increases in direct and indirect costs.  The exploratory case study research strategy is used to describe the impact of drug use / abuse, particularly opioids, on business operations and costs.  The business viewpoint is not intended to lessen the human side of the tragedy; instead, it is offered as another approach to understanding the escalating issue of drugs in the workplace.