Drug Testing

THE ROLE OF DRUG TESTING IN THE WORKPLACE

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the roles and function drug testing plays in the workplace. This paper summarizes the brief history of drug testing in the workplace and analyses the various pros and cons of workplace testing for drug usage, the various types of drug testing, and investigates the different policies and procedures organizations uphold. This paper examines why drug testing is done and how U.S. companies and the military conduct drug testing among their employees and soldiers. In addition, this paper will define the different consequences and reprimands that HR departments enforce when drug testing determines a negative result. This paper also presents some recommendations for managers; emphasizing the basic importance of a workplace substance abuse policy implementation, which has become a standard procedure in any business today.

History of Drug Testing

The history of drug testing in the workplace dates back to the mid 1980’s when drug testing in companies started to become a common practice. Drug testing was first practiced in the United States in the 1960s and early 1970s, when the Department of Defense (DOD) used urinalysis to screen military personnel returning from Vietnam and when treatment programs started including drug screening in the rehabilitation of persons with dependency problems (MacDonald,1993). The 1980s saw a massive increase in drug screening following the development of more reliable technology to test for the presence of marijuana and because of heightened awareness about apparently high rates of drug use among certain populations (e.g. military personnel). A highly publicized fatal aircraft carrier accident that had involved the use of drugs served to intensify public fear about the harmful effects of drugs (MacDonald,1993). In 1986, the Reagan administration began to heavily promote drug testing in the workplace as...