AFFIRMATIVE — WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING 275

DISADVANTAGE ANSWERS

DRUG TESTING IN THE WORKPLACE DOES NOT ACHIEVE ITS DESIRED EFFECT

Barbara Ehrenreich; The New York Times, March 5, 2000, SECTION: Section 6; Page 88; TITLE: Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace // acs-VT2001

According to a recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union, drug testing has not been proven to achieve its advertised effects, like reducing absenteeism and improving productivity. But it does reveal who's on antidepressants or suffering with an ailment that's expensive to treat, and it is undeniably effective at weeding out those potential "troublemakers" who are too independent-minded to strip and empty their bladders on command.

REQUIRING DRUG TESTING DECREASES BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY

Barbara Ehrenreich; The New York Times, March 5, 2000, SECTION: Section 6; Page 88; TITLE: Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace // acs-VT2001

Maybe the prevailing trade-off between jobs and freedom would make sense, in the narrowest cost-benefit terms, if it contributed to a more vibrant economy. But this is hardly the case. In fact, a 1998 study of 63 computer-equipment and data-processing firms found that companies that performed both pre-employment and random drug testing actually "reduced rather than enhanced productivity" -- by an eye-popping 29 percent, presumably because of its dampening effect on morale.