Cocaine use at work up 18% year on year

Employers are being urged to regularly revisit drug and alcohol policies and consider regional variations as Q2 data points to the emergence of an alarming trend.

The latest quarterly Imperans report has reinforced the dynamic nature of drug use and workplace detection rates.

As reported earlier this year, the first quarter of 2026 saw a drug use plateau that was expected to drop from earlier, post-holiday levels. During this period, cocaine detections in Australian workplaces rose 45.5 per cent year on year (YoY), with amphetamine-type substances (ATS) such as methamphetamine and MDMA also climbing nationally.

In Q2, ATS reached the highest level recorded by Imperans, rising 17.9 per cent YoY and accounting for six in every 10 positive workplace drug tests.

While opioids (including oxycodone) and cannabis fell 36 per cent and 2 per cent YoY, respectively, cocaine use rose 18 per cent YoY as part of an ongoing, upward trend.

According to The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) CEO Glenn Dobson, the consistent appearance of cocaine in workplace substance profiles means employers should remain aware of how it can present in the workplace.

He said: “Someone may not display obvious signs of impairment, but their judgement, decision making and ability to respond appropriately to changing situations can still be affected. Overconfidence and impaired judgement can be a risky combination in the workplace, particularly on worksites or when operating heavy machinery.”

Given the report’s broad examination of workplace drug detection, Dobson explained that employers need to maintain an understanding of their own operating environment, workforce, and industry, and not rely on assumptions or national statistics only.

“When employers use that information to identify changing patterns over time, they’re in a much stronger position to review policies, target education and make informed, proactive decisions about workplace safety rather than reacting after an incident has occurred,” he said.

Dobson also noted that workplace drug policies should not just be seen as a compliance exercise. Data should be used, he continued, to impact existing policies, testing strategies, as well as staff education programs and the overall management of workplace safety.

“The organisations that get the best outcomes don’t treat their policy as a document that’s written once and filed away. They develop it in consultation with their workforce, communicate it clearly, review it regularly and make sure it continues to reflect the risks they’re managing.”

In the same vein, Dobson urged employers not to limit management to just testing, nor to one type of testing.

He said: “Effective programmes consider the purpose of testing, whether that’s pre-employment, random, post-incident or reasonable cause, and ensure those programmes are supported by clear policies and consistent processes.”

Finally, employers are urged to use data from their own workplace programs to identify emerging trends and the risks specific to their workforce.

“The best workplace safety decisions are made before an incident occurs,” Dobson said.

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