Drug testing
There is a justice system, but criminals still
commit crimes. There is a tax system, but individuals and corporations
find ways to evade paying. There is a drug testing system, but people
still find their way around it. The question is: how do we drug test
and where do we draw the line of how serious each offense will be?
We now live in a world where professional
sports are entertainment. Caitlin’s labs conduct drug tests for the
NFL, the Olympics, and the NCAA. We read in the news about committee
members, and CEO’s being drug tested in their businesses and
communities.
Many issues have come up regarding drug testing, and
whether it is against our Constitutional right to privacy.
Congressional committees last month put Major League Baseball on the
hot seat over dirty drug tests for steroids. The professional sports
organizations are forming new drug testing policies and protocols.
Professional and nonprofessional sports and the people who play them
now have some the strictest drug policies in the world. This is good
news, but how are they testing drugs and how far as a society do we go?
Some say we are going too far while other lobbyists
like the MADD (Mothers against Drunk driving) say we aren’t strict
enough. So where is that fine line? Drug testing is a necessary tool to
be used in identifying chemicals but there is a certain cognitive
dissonance associated with the drug. On one hand drugs can mean
life-saving medicine, while on the other hand drugs signify an illegal
and possibly life threatening situation. We are seeing problems in just
how to interpret this subject.
Drug testing should be used as a tool in order to
reveal the idea of how harmful drugs are for kids in the schools, at
the workplace, and other places where people can be put at risk.
Schools and workplaces should be able to run random drug testing at any
time they feel that there may be a problem. All employers should have a
drug testing policy in place with literature readily available to all
employees.
We need schools to adopt more drug testing within
the lines of who is on drugs, and where they are getting them. If the
message is that drugs will not be tolerated on school property, our
children could have better opportunities to learn and be safe in a drug
free environment.
Some of the drug testing programs provide useful
information about drug use and patterns in the workplace and community.
Some drug testing sites report that although the workers or
probationers rarely admit to using drugs, the test results show that
the usage of drugs is quite high. Drug testing has helped agencies
better understand the possible rates and patterns of drug abuse among
teens and employees and has enabled them to provide a safer and more
productive workplace.
Some of the problems with drug testing are the cost
of each test. Some tests don’t have the ability to find or isolate
various chemicals, while other tests cost so much that companies and
schools can’t afford them. Other drug tests can lead to miscodes or bad
readings. The errors of the drug test don’t get changed or challenged
so innocent people get unfairly caught up in the results. Agencies and
communities differ, so we can not realistically say or assume that drug
testing programs apply in every situation.
Most drug testing programs should be based on
identified needs of the community, the agency and why is it being used.
The objectives of drug testing are to assess and gain a clear sense of
who is at risk, and understand the obstacles and opportunities that the
drug testing might encounter in our society. Drug testing is to help
us, not hinder us.
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