Quest Diagnostics, which administered 7.1 million drug tests in 2003, reported the rise in meth use among workers and job applicants. Of every 1,000 workers and job applicants tested, an average of 3.2 tested positive for meth last year.

Ed Childress, special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said the numbers are in line with the rise in meth-lab seizures. The number of labs seized by the DEA jumped from fewer than 8,000 in 1999 to 10,000 last year.

"It's pushed its way like a firestorm across the United States," Childress said.

The drug is particularly attractive among workers because it prevents fatigue and provides a feeling of self-confidence without a visible high.

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