Drug tests don’t address No. 1 problem: alcohol
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Re “His cup runneth over with annoyance,” Current, Jan. 29
When a newspaper like The Times forces job candidates to submit to drug tests, it is an unwitting conspirator in a culture war that should have ended with the Vietnam War. Drug tests are essentially lifestyle tests. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Synthetic drugs are water soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think drug users don’t know this, think again. Anyone capable of running a search on the Internet can find out how to thwart a drug test.
The most commonly abused drug, and the one most closely associated with violence, is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug, alcohol, takes far more lives each year than all illegal drugs combined.
Hangovers don’t contribute to workplace safety, and counterproductive drug tests do absolutely nothing to discourage the No. 1 drug problem.
ROBERT SHARPE
Policy Analyst
Common Sense for Drug Policy
Arlington, Va.
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