Drug Testing Throughout Society

1901 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Case studies drug testing

Drug testing has become a huge and lucrative business. According to a recent Ezine article, “with at least fifteen large U.S. corporations supplying laboratory testing, employees and others are only a few minutes’ drive from a testing facility.” The article goes on to say that drug testing ranges from employers who use drug testing as a pre-employment screening tool to parents who want to keep tabs on the well being of their teenagers. There are many groups that frequently use drug testing as a screening mechanism . As a student or person in the work force, it is very likely that one day you may be required to take a drug test. Should you be entitled to your privacy? Or, is it a matter of preventative measures and safety?

Drug testing on the job has become increasingly common in the past 4-5 years. Probably the group that is tested most often is prospective employees because of workplace safety legislation and the fact that employees can use dangerous equipment or have access to sensitive information. Because of this many corporations and employers want to be certain that their employees are not drug users. Drug testing can be conducted easily with the sample of urine, hair, blood or swab from the mouth. Positive or negative results can be attained within 24 to 48 hours.

In addition, drug abuse testing has been on the rise in the field of athletics. There have been controversies surrounding the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, and today athletes are under a great deal of scrutiny. The government has also become involved in the controversy. They have begun to enforce controls and screening of athletes. If an athlete tests positive on a drug test, the penalties can be fines, loss of game time, or complete d...

... middle of paper ...

...ent Drug Testing Programs Are Ineffective and Harmful." Opposing Viewpoints: School Policies. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. St. Louis Community College. 13 Nov. 2008 .

Oscar G. Bukstein. "Student Drug Testing Has Not Been Proven to Prevent Drug Abuse." At Issue: Drug Testing. Ed. Cindy Mur. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. St. Louis Community College. 13 Nov. 2008 .

Show More
Related

  • The Unfairness of Drug Testing in Low-Wage Jobs

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two sources that prove that drug testing in the U.S is unfair and unjust are Nickel and

    Read More

  • Professional Athletes: The End of "Roid Rage"

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    Those who believe the use of anabolic steroids should be allowed in professional sports have numerous arguments for those in opposition. Professional sports leagues have tried to stop the use of steroids by drug testing players and punishing those who do not pass. A number of major athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, have been stripped of their athletic accolades due to discoveries of drug use. Despite witnessing the fall of great competitors due to “doping,” people continue to use. Because of unsuccessful attempts at banning the drug, many people believe “it may be time to head in the other direction: legalize performance enhancers” (Smith 1). No matter how many rules and regulations are made against the use of steroids, athletes will continue to abuse the drug in order to get ...

    Read More

  • Steroids In College Sports

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the world we live in today, some college athletes take certain substances to boost their physical body in hopes of taking their game to the next level. These substances are labeled as PED’s. PED’s is an acronym for performance enhancing drugs which to this day are illegal for not only college athletes but professional athletes as well. An athletes’ usage of performance enhancing drugs can affect many people. For example, we know that enhancing drugs will affect the athlete using them but the usage of PED’s can also effect the athlete’s teammates as well as the coaching staff. Failing a drug test due to performance enhancing drugs can result in a loss of a full year of eligibility with the first offense (Disalvo). Failing a second time can

    Read More

  • Zero Tolerance Policies in American Schools

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    Drugs and alcohol are a big problem everywhere, but school administrators and teachers want to make sure that students are able to reach their full potential and drug use would greatly hinder that. However, according to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey 39.9% of students have tried marijuana and 70.8% of students have drank alcohol (YRBSS 2011 National Overview). If schools were to expel every student because of drug or alcohol use, there would hardly be any students left. A booklet published by the Drug Policy Alliance has research that shows that zero tolerance policies do not deter drug and alcohol use. Drug and alcohol use continues to rise in schools, and many schools do not do anything to help combat it except for harsh disciplinary procedures. Most elementary schools have drug education programs, but the same type of education does not work well with teenagers. The Drug Policy Alliance advocates for a three step process to help students instead of p...

    Read More

  • No Drug Testing in the Workplace

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    The arguments against drug testing are that it is excessively invasive, may damage relations between employers and employees, and could hamper the recruitment and retention of good staff. In 1986, the Regan administration recommended a drug-testing program for employers. In 1991, the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 was passed. It requires mandatory drug testing in trucking and other industries. Over the past 25 years, drug testing in the military has increased.

    Read More

  • Mandatory Drug Testing for Student Athletes

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.

    Read More

  • Forced Drug Testing is a Violation our Rights

    408 Words  | 1 Pages

    In my opinion I feel that this time of authority drug test are not effective. ” It would seem that if this policy were to make way that there would not be such a large rate of recidivism” (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1999). It takes more that sending a person to prison to break them of their habits. The means which are necessary to aid the cause of ending a drug habit are not available with this policy. Under the Bill of rights, the four rights that this policy violates are, The right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to be treated the same as others.

    Read More

  • Northville Drug Test

    457 Words  | 1 Pages

    In a study done in 2015, Dr. Levy of the AAP, said approximately there is only 1 positive for every 125 students. So if the school spends $20,000, there would only be 6 to 7 students who would test positive (Levy). Also another study was done in 2013 by Dan Romer, PhD, and Dr. Sznitman. The two conducted 361 interviews with high school students. The study shows, that most students are not impacted by the drug test and also Romer has noted that most students who take substances, don't do extracurricular activities. So the tests would be useless on students who don’t even take drugs. Another reason why drug testing students is bad because it is a waste of time. To get the results back, it takes approximately three days, in the three days, many things can be done. For an example, football, the school could hold practices for the students to improve on their skills. But, the school would be waiting on the results to come back in.

    Read More

  • Mandatory Drug Testing Arguments

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    “An aggressive drug-testing program would cut down on certain abuses, but it’s never going to catch everyone, or even close to everyone” Malcolm Gladwell. The above quote demonstrates the ongoing debate concerning mandatory drug testing in schools. Issitt and Ballaro, two of the many people engaged in this debate, provide articles on the different sides of the argument. On one hand, Issitt strongly believes that drug tests are effective and that schools should enforce drug testing on all students. On the other hand, Ballaro agrees with the above quote that drug testing “is never going to catch everyone”. She strongly disagrees with mandatory drug testing as a measure to reduce drug abuse. Both Issit and Ballaro provide an abundance of reasons

    Read More

  • Random Drug Testing is Ethical and Necessary

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is also very hard to decide if the test is an invasion of employee privacy. “The ethical status of workplace drug testing can be expressed as a question of competing interests, between the employer’s right to use testing to reduce drug related harms and maximize profits, over against the employee’s right to privacy, particularly with regard to drug use which occurs outside the workplace.” (Cranford 2). The rights of the employee have to be considered. The Supreme Court case, Griswold vs. Connecticut, outlines the idea that every person is entitled to a privacy zone.

    Read More

  • Student Drug Testing In Schools

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The school district takes on a tremendous responsibility to watch over other people's children, many would expect a safe environment. According to Graham Boyd ¨Just as parents and students can expect schools to offer protection from violence, racism, and other forms of abuse, so do they have the right to expect a learning environment free from the influence of illegal drugs.¨ The learning environment should be safe for everybody. Many people often question what happens if a school does find a student using illegal drugs. The goal of the school district isn't to punish the student, but to stop the use of drugs amongst the students. John Walters wrote in his paper ¨ It is important to understand that the goal of school-based drug testing is not to punish students who use drugs.¨ However consequences would not be a bad idea, for example, the school could limit playing time or suspend the student from extracurricular activities. The punishment could help the student stay further away from drugs. Another responsibility of the school district is to respect the student's rights of privacy. While people say the drug test are an intrusion of privacy, the test results are only shared with the student, parents, and school administrators. According to John Walters ¨Schools have a responsibility to respect students' privacy, so it is vital that only the people who need to know the test

    Read More

  • Doping, Athletes and Sports

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...thlete under twenty-four hour surveillance is neither feasible nor lawful. Only when there are more accurate tests can the enforcement of drug rules and regulations be possible. As more sophisticated tests come to market, fewer drugs will escape detection. With the limited ability of current techniques to catch athletes red-handed, pressure must be put on the athletic community to reject doping. Until the athletic community refuses doping as a means to an end, little can be done to stop it from happening.

    Read More

  • High School Drug Testing

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ey to getting a good job, but high school students can’t get their education if they are caught up in doing drugs. Over thirty percent of dropouts in the United States are because of drugs. The thirty percent of drug addict dropouts may never find a job. Thats why it is important for high school drug testing to be enforced among all students. High school drug testing would allow early notice of drug use and allow the school to steer the student into the right path towards success. The drug tests will give students confidence and another reason to say “No” when being peer pressured into trying drugs. Many would argue that drug testings invade their privacy, but with drug usage being at an all time high who can we count on? High schools are made to prepare students for their future, and in order to make the students successful we must allow high school drug testings.

    Read More

  • Doping In Sports Essay

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    The usage of performance-enhancing drugs in sports is commonly known as Doping. Doping is banned worldwide in every sports administration and competitions and doping gives an unfair advantage to those using illegal substances, such as steroids to boost their performance. It also puts at stake the integrity of those athletes who do not use performance-enhancing drugs also known as “clean” athletes. In fact it seems that we’re now entering the era of performance-enhancing drugs within professional sports. Doping rids the true athletes of what they truly deserve and is wrong; because why should those who put in a hundred per cent of their effort, be outshone by individuals who are choosing to use substances to enhance their physical and mental abilities? Doping damages the sports industry as a whole because it has a serious physical and mental effects on the athletes, as well as damaging the idea of sportsmanship and it also breaks the trust of the fans, as they realise their idols are hypocrites.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: We All Should Support Mandatory Drug Testing in Schools

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience to support random and mandatory drug testing in schools and to encourage my audience to maintain a drug-free environment in school

    Read More

More about Drug Testing Throughout Society

Open Document