Drug Testing in the Workplace

On September 15, 1986, President Ronald Reagan, in an attempt to establish a drug-free workplace, signed Executive order 12564. This was the first attempt to prevent employees from using illegal drugs, even when off-duty. The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 soon followed and what started with only Federal employees, soon entered the private sector.
Today, drug testing in the workplace is the most effective weapon there is against adult substance abuse. Pre-employment testing has become a common part of the hiring process especially in safety and security positions, such as law enforcement, transportation, machine, or heavy equipment work.
In the past fifteen years we have gone from zero to wide spread drug testing with 49% of today’s full-time workers subject to some form of drug testing. Small businesses are at a disadvantage in many cases since they are less likely to have a drug-testing program. For this reason, they are more likely to be sought out for employment by drug us...