INVASIVE DRUG TESTS NOT THE WAY TO GO

Regarding David Chapman's Oct. 30 column on drug testing, there is far
more at stake than liberty. Random drug testing in the workplace may
do more harm than good. The invasive tests may compel users of
relatively harmless marijuana to switch to harder drugs like
methamphetamine to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high,
marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough to
make urinalysis a deterrent.

Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for
days. Synthetic drugs are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. An
employee who uses meth on Friday night will likely test clean on
Monday morning. 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 is
alcohol, and it 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, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.