ABSTRACT
As we began this book, we gave the reasons for writing it: a sincere concern about the dangers of the drug abuse epidemic taking its toll on health and productivity and even the spirit of the nation. Drug abuse is a serious matter in our society, harming families, workers, and soci ety. The drug underculture reeks with crime and criminal activity. For tunes are wasted and drug lords become rich. Even the security of our nation is weakened by the flow of money from our borders, decreased productivity, wasted lives, hopelessness, and a cycle of dependency, often involving other crimes to pay for the habit of the addict. The destruction of the minds of the young and the bodies of the old contin ues and increases. Workplaces are no longer places where people strive together to produce the best possible product, whether it be a piece of furniture, a building, efficient service, an enjoyable play or song, food from the farm, or the wealth of the earth and seas. Federal law, in the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, has mandated that employers and employees together work to reduce the decrease in productivity and harm to society caused by improper use of drugs.
