Preview

Workplace Drug Screen Opinion

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1401 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Workplace Drug Screen Opinion
Workplace Drug Screening Opinion Paper

PSY/325

March 15, 2005

Workplace Drug Screening Opinion Paper Drug testing is become increasingly popular tool used by business ' today to weed out the potential employment candidate that may have drug problems. This testing does not determine whether a potential candidate has any issues with alcohol abuse, but will help a company determine whether or not the potential employee might be using other substances, such as prescription pills or illegal drugs. This may be a bonus to the company to find out this information upfront, but what about ethics of this practice? Unless the employee is abusing drugs in the workplace it really is none of the business of the company to dictate what an employee does at home or off work hours. That is the argument. To explore further, let 's take a look at what types of drug test are available today. There are five primary types of drug tests: urine, blood, hair, saliva and sweat. The most common test used is urine testing. Most companies use them because the cost is cheap and there are many facilities that can do urine tests quickly and cheaply. For the tester, a urine test can be manipulated. Just by abstaining from drug usage for a short period of time and flushing the body with water you can receive a negative for drugs urine test and still be a drug user.
The second type of testing listed is blood tests. The blood tests are the most expensive and the most effective. For the tester this is considered a very intrusive form of drug testing. Because they are so expensive and take more time than urine tests they are not very commonly used by pre-employment screenings. Hair testing is very accurate. The hair test can detect drug usage over a long period of time If someone that is being tested is a regular drug user the hair test will detect it. There is not way the tester can manipulate hair testing. This form of testing is about three times more expensive



References: Carnford, Michael (1998) "Drug Testing and the right to privacy: Arguing the ethics of workplace drug testing." Journal of Business Ethics, December 1998: Vol. 17, Issue 16. University of Phoenix: Electronic Reserve Readings. 15 Mar. 2006. http://www.apollolibrary.com/Library/ERR/ElectronicReserveReadings.aspx Andre, Claire & Valesquez, Manuel. (2005) "This is a Test: The Dilemma 's of Drug Testing" Retrieved from the World Wide Web March 10, 2006 http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n1/test.html EROWID. (1995-2005) "Drug Testing Basics" Retrieved from the World Wide Web March 10, 2006 http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/testing/testing_info1.shtml

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Spectrophotometry is useful by identifying drugs. Like the color test, it cannot point out a specific drug, but it is very useful for determining if a drug is present. The spectrophotometry uses UV and infrared light and is tested to see how the light reflects or absorbs the light.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Doctors can usually perform a test using blood, or urine samples collected from the accused to test to confirm the use of the drugs. “This witness also testified that Mr. Robinson had admitted using narcotics in the past. He testified in his own behalf, denying the alleged conversations with the police officers and he denied that he had ever used drugs or been addicted to them”…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pre-employment drug testing and post hiring random testing has become common place in today’s business world. In order to ensure that their employees can function safely for the good of themselves, fellow employees and the company property, companies have adopted the practice of drug testing employees.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hair Drug Testing Speech

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages

    So, your new employer requires you to have a hair drug test done - now what? The answer is that you should go ahead and take the test pronto! But before you do so, are you sure you’re going to pass the test? You’ve probably heard the rumor about how effective this particular test is, so it’s only natural to be anxious if your past record with drugs isn’t something to smile about. Well, good news is that this meticulous method of hair follicle testing can be bypassed if certain tactics are applied.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: American Civil Liberties Union. (1997, December 31). Privacy in america: Workplace drug testing. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/drug-law-reform_technology-and-liberty/privacy-america-workplace-drug-testing…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    DQ Responses

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Drug screening is an absolute must in today’s workforce. Drug use can lead to over or under performance. Allowing…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Criminal Justice Policy

    • 1320 Words
    • 6 Pages

    a. Mandatory Drug Testing: Drug testing in the work place for federal employees began on April 11, 1988 ("Mandatory guidelines for," 2008). Since the early inception of drug testing it has become a topic of debate. Is it right or wrong? Is it constitutional? Are the rights of American…

    • 1320 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    6. Companies have the right to do what they wish, and if they decide to invest their own money into drug testing their own employees, there is no wrong in…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another point against mandatory drug testing is the issue of costs for either the necessary equipment or tools to test each employee. The argument against this is that the total cost for each test is outweighed by the possibility of a lawsuit or legal ramifications from another individual or party who was harmed or wronged by an employee while they were under the influence of either alcohol or another substance due to the absence of mandatory drug testing. Arguments against mandatory drug testing states the possibility of false positives in the results of drug tests. This is a valid point in that the purpose of mandatory drug testing is remove those under the influence and are impaired from their responsibility and at the same time, keep other members of society from harm. To counter that argument, the punishment for testing positive would be an immediate removal from the position but not a dismissal from their employment and to undergo additional testing to determine if the original positive result was the product of a false positive or an indication of use while in their respective…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another controversial practice is the recent expansion of compulsory , random drug testing. The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionally of blood and urine tests of rail employees involved in train accidents, of federal employees, and of high school students engaged in interscholastic athletic…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    All major companies and corporation requires drug test before and after one hired. A person has to prove their innocence even if there is no suspicion of guilt. One is now guilty of drug abuse and is required to prove their innocence; this indeed is contrary to ones rights granted by the “innocent until proven guilty” principle of U.S justice.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    "The issue of drug testing has caused a national debate that still persists. The debate hinges on the right to privacy of the athlete and whether such testing is constitutional under the U.S. Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure" (Siedentop, 1998, p. 149). This issue has been presented in front of many courts, resulting in different rulings.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Workplace Drug Testing

    • 1714 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Drug testing within the workplace has become a common practice over the past three decades. While employers continue to focus on eliminating the risks that are associated with drug use from their workplace many other areas are just realizing that drug testing is important. One such area is through workforce development and training. Focusing solely on Indiana, drug testing was implemented for all new individuals who were enrolled in training provided by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 on July 1, 2011. Individuals receiving this training were now subject to drug testing prior to starting the training process.…

    • 1714 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    For many years, the United States has been involved in many wars, costing millions of dollars and the death of many people. One of the longest wars that the US is still facing is drug abuse in the work place, and a widespread strategy to combat this issue is mandatory drug testing. In September 15, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed execute order 12564, his goal was to establish a drug-free workplace. This order required all federal workers to abstain from drugs and submit to a voluntary drug test. Drug Abuse has a negative effect on the work place; therefore Drug testing should be mandatory in order to create a drug free and safe environment. This is a very…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A recent study proved that drug tests would help expose the risks and dangers on drug abuse in spite on the contrasting claims. It would help in determining the safety…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays