The Ethical Dilemmas Of Drug Testing

Becoming an ever more present topic of controversy in today’s world is drug testing in selection. With this dispute comes a multitude of ethical dilemmas. Some believe it is an infringement of rights while others believe it is a necessary requirement for workplace safety and organization protection. In the world of business it is important to push the organization for success while maintaining employee/employer safety and consumer satisfaction. One way to accomplish these requirements is to utilize drug testing in the selection process but it is a subject easier said than done.

Drugs are classified as chemicals that affect the brain by blocking, mimicking or altering chemical reactions. It is on this very premise organizations have shifted

The two most common types however are pre-employment and post-employment. Pre-employment testing allows the involved parties to determine if it is worth their time to proceed with the applicant through the rest of the hiring process. This is one of the most common testing stages utilized due to saving on cost expenses as well as the headache involved behind the ethical dilemma of post-hire testing. A crucial benefit of post-hire testing is being able to weed out those who are chronic users while implementing a fear factor in hopes to prevent further drug use. Since implementing post-hiring drug testing, “the SHRM poll has reported businesses seeing a16 percent decrease in employee turnover, and about a 50 percent decrease in absenteeism and workers compensation incidents ” (SHRM, p. 1). The question left at hand though “Is it ethical to drug test employees pre/post-employment?” still lies in the gray area of the

Although a false positive is considered rare, it does happen. This result can be caused by several factors such as over the counter cold medication, pain killers, or even food items such as poppy seeds. This is where what’s considered the “confirmation stage” comes in to be the theoretical hero. Testing facilities utilize what is known as the “Gas Chromatography and the Mass Spectrometry” (Drug Testing, p.1) to distinguish between drug substances such as opiates verse a false positive such as poppy seeds. When it comes to the test results, one major downfall is that it does not show if someone is currently under the influence, only that they have been recently in contact with a drug. Cost is an important factor not just when it comes to the testing procedure but also the day to day operations of the business. Businesses feel chronic drug users create a higher cost with potential turnover, loss of productivity, absenteeism, workers compensation as well as health care for work related injuries. However, with the legalization of marijuana becoming more of a cultural norm, employers are faced with the dilemma of not being able to distinguish those candidates who use it recreationally verse medicinally. Employers have to walk on broken egg shells when it comes to this subject due to the strict privacy laws as well as the potential for a