DRUG TESTING TRENDS: Cocaine use among US employees and job applicants in the general work force dropped nearly 30 percent in 2008, while positive tests for amphetamine showed an uptick, according to a recent study.

The annual Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, based on 5.7 million urine drug tests, found that methamphetamine use also fell about 21 percent. Amphetamine use jumped more than 12 percent from last year, the index showed.

Cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamine are each a type of stimulant, typically used to increase alertness and relieve fatigue.

The findings are unusual because methamphetamine and amphetamine typically track together, according to Barry Sample, director of science and technology for Quest Diagnostics' Employer Solutions Division. The recent spike in amphetamine could indicate increased use of a prescription drug to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he said.

Meanwhile, the drop in cocaine use could be credited to efforts of law enforcement, which have driven up prices and reduced availability, Sample said.

"Random drug testing does appear to deter drug use," Sample said.

In 2008, 3.6 percent of the combined US work force tested positive in a urine drug test compared to 3.8 percent in 2007. Drug use has been in a 19-year decline since Quest Diagnostics first published the Drug Testing Index in 1989, summarising data from 1988, when 13.6 percent of workers tested positive.

———

BRAND POLLUTION: Pesky spam e-mails with bogus brand names and company logos not only expose consumers to identity theft and computer viruses. Trademark trespassing is becoming a growing problem for marketers.

Savvy brand extortionists and cyber scammers are driving marketers to spend more on brand protection as threats are fuelled by a down economy, according to a new study by the Chief Marketing Officer Council.

"We're seeing use of brand images and marks being used incorrectly on sites for counterfeit products, and that erodes brand value, as well as consumer loyalty and trust," said Liz Miller, vice-president of programmes and operations for the CMO Council.

Travelocity.com, for instance, has seen a growing number of counterfeit websites that use a similar domain name.