Is Drug Testing a Safety Precaution or a Violation of Privacy?

The debate over whether drug testing is a safety precaution or a violation of privacy is one with no real end in sight; however the practice of drug testing especially in the workplace by employers has increased to nearly 60%. Why? A large percentage of employers reported that it has resulted in the decrease of absenteeism and an increase in productivity, both of which are every employer’s dream, according to Drug Tests in Bulk. “Among the organizations using these testing programs, the tendency is to continue the use of them over relatively long periods of time,” said Mark Schmit, director of research at SHRM. “In addition, organizations are reporting positive impacts related to drug and alcohol testing that supports the efficacy of these programs.”

Workplace safety be it to preserve machinery, office furniture or real estate is of primary concern to any employer, leading to employers taking definitive steps to ensure its existence. Additionally, drug testing by the employer is not just beneficial to the employer, but also to the employee’s family and for the safe keeping of the general public.

Here are some direct safety impacts of drug testing in the workplace:
It prevents job-related accidents.
It prevents injury to co workers
It prevents injury to the drug abuser

Now let us examine the safety impact of drug testing on students:

Periodic drug testing gives students a reason to say “no” to drugs.

Students who test positive for drugs have the opportunity to be counseled, treated and rehabilitated.

Students are the future citizens and leaders of our country, but using drugs could derail this, hence drug tests will give parents/teachers to conduct early interventions.

The physical safety of the student is better protected when not using drugs as the student does not get caught up in the vicious violence that has been the hallmark of drug pushers/dealers.

On the other side of the fence there is the argument that drug testing, be it in the workplace, school or church or for the general public is a violation of a privacy; What one does in their spare time is nobody’s concern.

Arguments that support the theory that drug testing is a violation of the individual’s privacy and the right to make decisions are as follows:

Any adult has the right to determine what he eats, drives and wears, so why not the ingestion of drugs? Drugs could very well be a need to be fulfilled just like other needs.

Tobacco and alcohol are both addicting habits and yet they are nor punishable, unless they result in any kind of accident. But, even a small dose of drug residue revealed during a drug test is immediately of concern, even though no accident or threat to personal or public safety occurred.

The reliability of the laboratories that conduct and result drug tests is questionable as the general public is not informed of violations. The Urine draw is not exclusive to drugs. Urinalysis reveals other conditions such as pregnancy, which may result in the job candidate not becoming employer. Other conditions such as the genetic predisposition to disease could also result in discrimination.

Drug testing, just like traffic signals has helped reduce accidents and that alone is enough of an argument for it to stay.