The Importance of Drug Screening and Why People Undergo It
Drug screening in the workplace and in other places has become a widespread practice. Employers invest a great lot of money on this program to spare the business from the drug and substance- abuse impact like absenteeism, tardiness, accidents, damages, poor performance and many more. This practice has been adopted by companies in the list of Fortune 500 making it a very attractive practice for small entities. Since the 1980s drug screening has been employed but it is only in recent years that its spread becomes rapid. Today, more businesses in the United States in the UK are imposing random drug testing on their employees.
The imposition of drug screening was not only exclusive to those who work. Some schools are also into drug test for students. Just recently a number of schools already started requiring random drug testing on students. Many school administrators, teachers and parents feel that this is an effective way of preventing and correcting illicit drug use among students. Alarming reports of the growing rate of students who are into drug use and the age scope becoming younger each year prompted many schools to create such policy.
Various reasons can be cited on why people undergo drug screening; most of which are due to the test being a requirement. In the workplace, random drug testing is imposed on employees. Companies find this significant to maintain the efficiency of its work force and avoid unnecessary occurrences that cause jeopardy in the business. Majority of those being subjected to random drug screening procedures are workers in the safety- critical industries, such as drivers and machine operators. And to avoid adding illicit drug users to their workplaces, some employees make drug screening as one of the requirements in accepting new workers.
In schools and with parents, drug screening allows them to identify whether or not their students or kids are on illicit drug use. This gives them the leverage to act up on the subject especially if the student is tested positive. They can put them under rehabilitation and therapy to prevent or eliminate addiction before the student pose negative behavior, as well as illegal and immoral acts. This also serves as a red flag for students who are not using drugs but are curious about it and its effects. So instead of trying, mandatory drug testing will make them think twice.
Whatever is the reason behind drug screening, it has to be noted that there is still no firm legal provision that enforces this practice. An employee remains to have the right to refuse any form of drug screening as a claim for his privacy, most especially if his work is not within the safety- critical industries. The complete mandating of drug testing in academic institutions also remains as a subject of argument for various groups. However, the reaction of a company or school towards the refusal of an employee or student to undergo drug screening is still their decision, and the said refusal can be a good ground for dismissal or turning down of applications.