y 1986, President Reagan?s Commission on Organized Crime recommended that drug testing be conducted for approximately half of the federal workforce. Estimates were as high as 400,000 for the number of federal workers that would be tested for drug use. Later that year, Executive Order 12564 was issued; it required the federal government, as the nation?s largest employer, to ?show the way in achieving drugfree workplaces? (U.S. White House, 1989). It called for each executive agency to prepare a plan that would (1) state policy regarding the agency?s reaction to drug use, (2) specify the role of employee assistance programs in helping drug users, (3) provide for supervisory training to assist in identifying and addressing illegal drug use by agency employees, (4) articulate a process for treatment referrals, and (5) provide for the identification of illegal drug users through testing.
Potential job applicants and current employees have an implicit disincentive to tell the truth when asked about drug use, either personal or on the job. If people reveal their drug use, they will likely not be offered employment or will be punished in some way, by reprimand, suspension, or termination. Thus, a way to determine drug use by potential and current employees is necessary. Drug screening through urinalysis and other biological tests measures characteristics of the body, especially its internal composition and processes. They typically do not rely on the observable--what people say or write, or how they perform. Biological probes draw samples from the body or otherwise monitor structure and physiology. They frequently aim ?to discover the truth behind appearances? (Neikin and Tancredi, 1989). Several types of drug tests are currently in use by public and private sector organizations. They include urine, blood, saliva, breath, hair, and sweat.
Urinalysis will identify drug use within the past two to five days, depending on the dru...