Drug Testing In The Workplace Essay

United States’ companies began drug testing their employees in the 1980s, to reduce on-the-job drug use, decrease absenteeism, and ensure the safety and welfare of their employees and the public. Until recently, drug testing was an effective way to handle workplace drug use, but as more and more states legalize marijuana (or the medical use of it) positivity rates are steadily increasing creating a major problem for companies (“Drug Positivity,” 2016). In order to continue protecting the workplace from drug related incidences, employers and policy makers must address legalized marijuana use, determine the ethical and proper disciplinary actions for offenses, and practices proper testing methods.

Marijuana is derived from the leaves, stems,

According to the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, positivity rates have increased from 2.6 percent in 2014 to 4 percent in 2015 (“Drug Positivity,” 2016). Marijuana positivity rates in the general U.S. workforce increased by 25 percent, and the overall positivity rates increased by 47 percent, which was mainly due to double-digit marijuana positivity rates (“Drug Positivity,” 2016). This poses a real problem for employers because marijuana users are more likely to file workman compensation claims, cause harm to themselves and others, and not show up to work (Kirchoff, 2015, p. 16). In order to reduce workplace injuries and workman compensation claims employers must implement effective drug testing methods.

Currently there are three methods used to detect drugs in a person’s system, a urine drug test, oral-fluid drug test, and hair drug test. A hair drug test can detect drug usage as far back as 90 days; it is the best at detecting repeated drug use (“Drug Positivity,” 2016). Urine drug test (the most commonly used) can detect drugs used in over the last one to three days, and oral fluid drug test can detect drugs used in the last 24 to 48 hours (“Drug Positivity,”