Small business is big business in New Zealand. Small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) account for over 97% of active New Zealand businesses and employ 30% of the workforce. However, SME’s are greatly disadvantaged when it comes to drug use in the workplace. They are less likely than large companies to have programmes in place to combat the problem and therefore they are more likely to be the “employer-of-choice” for illicit drug users wishing to evade detection. International studies indicate that, among the full-time workforce, SME’s employ over six times as many illicit drug users as large establishments.
SME’s Attract Higher Numbers of Substance Abusers
