Workplace Drug Screening Opinion Paper

Drug testing is a very sensitive issue to almost everyone. Its implications can be interpreted wrongly by some people. There are many ethical issues that should be considered before employees or workers undergo drug testing. “Recognizing that the situation differs in each country and each workplace, ethical issues are one of the most important concerns to be resolved before any testing is undertaken.

Rights of workers to privacy and confidentiality, autonomy, fairness, and the integrity of their bodies must be respected, in harmony with national and international laws and jurisprudence, norms and values” (International Labour Office, 1993, p. 103).

In California, the State Law regarding drug testing states that “employers of 25 or more must reasonably accommodate employee wishes to participate in a rehabilitation program, provided no undue hardship is created; the employee may not have to pay for preemployment or continuing employment exam; and the California Department of Health interprets the state's laboratory licensing law to prohibit any drug test not performed in a certified laboratory or by a licensed physician” (U. S. Department of Labor).

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Employers have different reasons to conduct drug testing including “preemployment detection of illicit drug use, determination of fitness to work, maintenance of workplace security, and confirmation of suspended illicit drug or alcohol use” (Sloboda & Bukoski, 2003, p. 201). Drug testing is as simple as it sounds. It uses different methods to determine if illegal drugs or alcohols are being abused by those tested. “The most common types of drug testing use Breathalyzers and laboratory studies of urine, blood, and hair specimens” (Hanson, Venturellli, & Fleckenstein, 2005, p. 12). Aside from these, some methods also make use of saliva and sweat. The most common drugs that are detected by drug tests include amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, and metamphetamines (Rodnay, Common Drugs That Are Detected Through Drug Testing). Many companies manufacture drug testing kits that are available for laboratories to use and check for the presence of drugs in people's body fluids. Because there are a lot of drug test kits in the market, it is important to determine the reliability of these kits.

A lot of companies use drug screen tests, which are not reliable, yielding approximately 10 percent of false positive results (Lectric Law Library). These false positive results lead to problems mostly for the worker. The employee would face embarrassment, discrimination, and a permanent mark on his or her employment and personal records. This is the reason why it is very important to conduct confirmation tests on those who have tested positive in the initial screening. This is also the reason why employers should not readily judge those workers who have tested positive for drug screening.

Discrimination, as to who should be tested or not, should not happen in the workplace. Also, it should not be assumed that a certain company or workplace does not have employees who use and abuse drugs because drug users can not be stereotyped. It is not limited to any gender, race, sex, or status. Individuals who are in the top position of a company is not different to a common worker in terms of drug use. Both persons abuse drugs and this will appear on their screening tests and their positions can not be detected by drug screening kits.

Employers should conduct random drug tests that are truly random. In this way, the number or percentage of those using illicit drugs can be seen without judgment to others. This also ensures that all workers will have second thoughts on using drugs. Because of the increase in the number of people abusing illicit drugs over the years, drug screening in the workplace is important to employers. It provides them assurance that their employees are healthy and that they are able to perform their job well.

Drug testing also assures employers and companies of security in the workplace. They are concerned of their businesses because when employees do not do their jobs and have poor performances, the whole company would suffer. Ultimately, both parties would lose: workers will be fired with permanent mark on his or her employment history and companies will lose money, especially when the number of employees who use drugs is large. To avoid these problems, people should take more preventive actions and cautions.

Privacy is an important factor. Drug screening programs in the workplace is considered lawful only when the nature of the test and the procedures used respect the worker's rights (Howard-Martin, 2002). Employers should always respect the privacy of their workers. On the other hand, employees should respect their employees and their jobs. Using drugs, especially at the workplace, or coming to work under its influence is a sign that workers do not value their job and do not respect their employers and the people around them.

When all ethical and legal issues are considered and taken care of, drug screening in the workplace will not become a problem for both parties involved. Indeed, dealing with drugs at work is not easy and very complicated. Not all situations are the same and not all laws can always be applied. Things are different with each company. As well, not all employees are the same. This is why it is never a good idea to discriminate. Although employers can find themselves with limited options when an employee is found to be using illicit drugs (About. om), some companies still take actions by providing assistance to their workers or letting their employees go. The importance of drug screening in the workplace can not be denied. It is always better to know that employees are capable of handling their work and performing well without causing trouble to the whole company or his or her coworkers. Drug screening, random or mandatory, at work may be one of the many ways to ensure that a company is doing well and a safe and secured workplace environment can be given to the workers.

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