Drug abuse testing 


Federal law allows employers to periodically drug test their
employees. This testing usually takes the form of randomized spot checks
where both the date and time of the test as well as the specific
employees tested are not announced before hand. There are things that
employees should be aware of, one of the most important being the poppy
seed false negative. An article published by the Los Angeles Times
reports that in a study of 161 over the counterand prescription
medications, 65 of them produced false positive results when the
subject was tested with the most widely administered urine test. This is
definitely something that the employee should be aware of if they have
the possibility of being tested. While it is vital to public health and
safety that our community workers are performing their jobs in a sober
manner, it is equally important that people are not unfairly judged by a
false positive result. The key to an equitable solution is for all
parties to use good communication and to know their rights and
responsibilities. We hope that anyone struggling with a substance abuse
problem will seek help in a timely fashion. No matter how impossible it
seems to someone using drugs to cope with their problems, life is much
more workable and pleasant when troubles are confronted head on.
If you feel that you have been wrongly accused of a drug test
positive reaction, go talk to your manager. Demonstrate your willingness
to work with your doctor who might have prescribed a codeine cough syrup
or some other medicine that may have given a false positive. Offer to go
talk to a counselor. People who are using drugs to deal with their lives
are fairly easy to diagnose. If you are not using drugs in this way,
your willingness may convince your employer that you are telling the
truth.

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Browse our other articles about drug testing

• Studies about drug testing
• Developing drug testing program
• The Pros and Cons of the various drug testing methods

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