ABSTRACT
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and his senior advisers submitted urine specimens to be screened for the presence of illegal drugs. There are four major categories of employee urine testing conducted by employers, namely: applicant screening, selective screening based on a suspicion of drug impairment on the job, random urine screening, and periodic testing of all employees. Whether or not urine testing deters illegal drug use remains to be seen, but clearly it is having other significant social effects. Yet many of the drug users that are identified will not be drug dependent or have drug-related ill effects at work or in their social lives. Employer urine testing is part of the greater social response to drug abuse in American society. There are three major issues regarding urine testing: the effectiveness of the urine testing process, the nature and effects of drug abuse, and employees' privacy rights.
