|
|
 |
Drug Test
Drug Test |
 |
|
|
|
Bestsellers: 75 items |
|
Partners:
Drug Testing Policy
In 1986, the administration of Reagan began to promote drug testing in the workplaces as part of the expanding of so called “War on Drugs”. Since that time drug testing has grown rapidly from safety-sensitive jobs to various non-safety sensitive jobs to testing before employment and testing for drugs in public high school and mandatory drug testing. Drug testing is also feature of the US criminal justice system. Most parolees and probationers must undergo drug testing as well.
This growing of drug test popularity is explained by the fact that widespread drug tests may result in safer schools and workplaces, lower substance abuse problems, crime cambating, etc. Drug test is more effective at achieving these goals than such alternatives as honest drug education, testing for workers, activities for students of high school students, etc.
There are various drug testing technologies – urine, sweat, saliva, hair, blood testing and the use of “Drug Recognition Experts”. Positive results from any of these tests impose many sanctions, such as loss of parental rights over children, dismissal from work, denial of public benefits.
Many drug testing technologies are not trustworthy enough. Moreover, there is a good deal of false positive drug test results. Additionally, an increasing number of over-the-counter, prescription medicines and foods results in positive results of drug tests even provided the person did not take any drugs.
Testing for drugs has been detached from its therapeutic basis. Little information is provided by a true positive drug test. It cannot detect when exactly the substance was taken, if the individual was influenced by drugs at the testing time or while on the job, if the individual is able to carry out the parenting responsibilities, if the individual is an occasional drug taker or suffers from an addiction disorder, etc.
Few employers, government bureaucracies, school districts, or law enforcement agencies use testing for drugs not to sanction persons but to find out if the individuals being drug tested have addiction disorders, provided so, to help those people with treatment.
ACLU Drug Policy Litigation Project, Drug Policy Alliance Network, the National Advocates for Pregnant Women are involved in the legal challenges to unreliable technologies of drug testing and drug testing policies.
|
|
