Ohio's business community is teaming up with a state program aimed at preventing child drug use. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
The President of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Andy Doerhel, says businesses around the state are concerned about the difficulty of finding qualified, sober employees.
“They see it day in and day out.”
Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor says businesses throughout the state are telling her the same thing.
“For the last four years as I have traveled, and this is in every region of the state and hits many different types of businesses, especially manufacturing businesses, that often times they will find a qualified applicant to take a position that is open but once that individual goes through the drug screening, they don’t pass. Therefore, they cannot be offered the job.”
With the chamber’s help, the state is providing videos and other training tools to businesses to help them prevent drug abuse in the workplace. Studies show nationally, employers have lost more than $81 billion a year in lost operations.
