Last updated : December 16, 2024
Despite being the birthplace of the global “war on drugs”, more than half of the world’s illicit drug use occurs in the United States. More than 45 percent of Americans claim to know someone with a substance abuse problem, and, according to estimates by the United States government, more than 118 million Americans admit to using drugs and almost half of American students have used drugs by the time they graduate high school.
According to a recent study by the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center, the problem is a costly one: approximately $200 billion a year is spent on illegal drug usage, with costs associated with crime, health and productivity.
Approximately one-third of illegal drug users are employed, presenting enormous challenges for employers who are held responsible for their health and well-being while in the workplace. An employee under the influence of drugs at work is more likely to negatively impact the company’s productivity at best, or, even worse, cause an accident leading to serious injury or even death. Employers can reduce the risk of safety compromises in the workplace through random drug testing. In addition, they can reduce the risk of health insurance premiums rising by identifying and terminating individuals who use drugs and minimizing costs associated with rehabilitation treatment and counseling.
Further, random drug testing acts as a deterrent for students considering experimenting with narcotics. The main goal of student testing is not to catch students who are using drugs, but to prevent them from every trying them in the first place. For students who don’t really want to experiment with drugs, but who feel peer pressured to do so, random drug testing gives them an ironclad excuse to say no. A further argument for implementing student random drug testing: The propensity for later substance use is established for most people by the time they graduate high school, according to a University of Michigan study.
Random drug screening should be a component of government-assisted programs, including unemployment benefits. While opponents argue that drug testing targets the poor, there is a correlation between unemployment and substance use. In certain circumstances, states now have the right to test recipients of unemployment or welfare benefits, but the law passed by Congress in early 2012 did not go far enough. Before receiving benefits and randomly while receiving benefits, individuals should be required to pass a drug screening test.
Random drug screening is inexpensive relative to the costs associated with drug usage in the United States. It serves as a deterrent for all and, when more broadly implemented, will actually impact the war on drugs.
