NCJ Number
144892
Journal
William and Mary Law Review Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1991) Pages: 1-252
Editor(s)
J Jones
Date Published
1991
Length
252 pages
Annotation
Ten articles discuss issues pertinent to drug testing in the workplace, with attention to the report of the William and Mary Institute of Bill of Rights Law Task Force on Drug Testing in the Workplace.
Abstract
The first article summarizes the work of the task force, as it sought to develop a workplace drug-testing policy and legislation that would achieve a balance between appropriate concern for public health and safety and the protection of the traditional American constitutional values of individual privacy and dignity. The second article presents the task force's proposal for a Substance Abuse Testing Act. The act presents uniform standards and requirements for the testing of employees and job applicants for use of illegal drugs and alcohol in the work setting. The act aims to achieve the task force's objectives of public protection, workplace safety, and the preservation of individual privacy and dignity. Another article considers the genesis of the distinction between employees and applicants in the context of drug testing and critiques the argument that supports the distinction. The fourth article identifies the hidden long-term costs of mass drug testing. The fifth article reviews sources of data on trends in drug use, examines the distribution of drug use in American society, reviews recent data on the extent of drug testing in the workplace and on the costs of drug use, and examines some of the implications of employer drug-testing data for public policy. Remaining articles focus on the mechanics of drug testing, the random testing of professional athletes, alcohol and drug policy, letters to the task force, and a State-by-State drug and alcohol testing survey. Footnotes accompany the articles.