Drug Testing

Drug testing is a very controversial issue in today society. It causes uproar from the students and the workers across America because they feel that it is an infringement of their rights. I believe that it is an infringement of a person's right to be tested of drugs just out of the blue and without just cause. I also believe that a person should be tested if they injure themselves or cause an injury to someone else on the job because then the employer is not held accountable or responsible for the damage that the worker might have caused (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, FEB 12, 1995 pA1). For a student, I think that if I student is getting very poor grades, acting up in class, or even skipping school, then, I feel they should be tested for drugs.

There are some pros to having drug tests though. A good thing about drug testing periodically would be that it could possibly frighten employees to do and use drugs, then they would stay clean and hopefully diminish the number of accidents and/or fatalities at the work place. It is a proven fact that a typical recreational drug user in today's work force is 2.2 times more likely to request time off or an early dismissal. They are 2.5 times more likely to have eight or more days of absences, three more times likely to be late for work and a third less productive on his or her job (USA TODAY MAGAZINE, JAN. 1995 PP-81-82). Also that if a person is caught with drugs then the employer could help this person, send him to a rehabilitation and hopefully get this person off of drugs before it becomes to late.

A con to having periodical drug tests in the work place would be that a worker might feel that his privacy is gone, which could create problems by him getting very mad and maybe even quit his job, then he could start up drinking and get involved in drugs and maybe eventually suicide. Also that a drug test depending on what the employer is looking for can become very costly and if they test every employer they could...