Seventy percent of current illicit drug users are employed. This means that more than 10 million employees use illicit drugs, making the workplace an important environment in which to intervene with drug users and to help prevent employees from starting to use illegal drugs.

One method of identifying employees who use illicit drugs is through drug testing in the workplace. Although this remains controversial and is often opposed unless it is for cause, companies that use drug testing send a strong message that they support non-drug using employees to remain drug-free and encourage occasional drug users to stop.

A recent Gallup poll of employees found that 97 percent agreed that workplace drug testing is appropriate under certain circumstances and 85 percent believed that urine testing may deter illicit drug use. Thus, testing for the right reasons has the support of most employees and there is some evidence that drug testing helps prevent illicit drug use.

"Workplace safety" is the reason most commonly given by employers for drug testing. Testing has been suggested for prospective and current employees in industry; for the armed forces; for parolees and bail seekers; for transportation industry employees; and for professional athletes, who are often role models for young people.

Workplace drug testing is used in five different ways:

Pre-employment or applicant testing (used most commonly);

Post-accident or for-cause testing;

Scheduled testing (used during routine physicals, for example);

Random testing (used for job categories involving public safety or security); and

Treatment follow-up testing (used to monitor an employee's success in remaining drug free)

Urine screening can be a useful tool in identifying employees with potential drug problems. The majority of the largest employers in the United States have adopted urine screening and approximately 20 percent of employed Americans have a drug testing policy in their workplaces. Although urine screening is considered relatively reliable, any drug testing program should retest positive samples, with a scientifically valid confirmation test. Care must also be taken in handling urine samples to avoid mislabeling and ensure that test results are valid and reliable.

Legal counsel is advisable for those planning a drug testing program. Drug testing related lawsuits filed against employers include invasion of privacy, wrongful discharge, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, employer negligence, assault and battery, false imprisonment, and discrimination against minorities or people with disabilities.

Despite controversy, statistics show that comprehensive prevention programs in the workplace with education and training programs for workers and supervisors, high laboratory standards for drug testing, and the availability of treatment and rehabilitation services for workers with problems reduce drug use and improve health, safety, and productivity. Implementing a drug-testing program can be an important part of a comprehensive approach to establishing a drug-free workplace.