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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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New Zealand: Drug tests attacked
Grant Miller Manawatu Standard
Thursday 02 Mar 2006 A British researcher visiting Massey University is warning against widespread drug testing in the workplace. Edward Wray-Bliss, from Nottingham University's business school, said testing should be restricted to the most safety-critical occupations because it is a poor way of measuring on-the-job impairment of performance. "Drug testing doesn't test for impairment of performance; it only tests for previous consumption of a substance," he said. "There's no clear evidence to support the idea that drug testing makes the workplace safer. Nor is there a deterrent effect." Such tests can detect a wide range of drugs including amphetamines and other stimulants, dance drugs, psychedelics and hallucinogens, cannabinoids and opioids, as well as prescription drugs and alcohol. But Dr Wray-Bliss said drug testing can be misused by employers to target troublesome employees "on suspicion" and what he calls recreational drug users may be unduly punished for activities that don't necessarily affect their performance at work. There can be serious ramifications such as dismissal or prosecution for employees who might otherwise have an unblemished record, he said. Dr Wray-Bliss is worried about "the extension of managerial control into private lives". A person who smoked cannabis on a Friday night after work could give a positive test up to 30 days later, he said. One British study suggests 76 percent of 22 year olds reported use of at least one illicit drug in their lifetime. Dr Wray-Bliss said this suggests a large proportion of the workforce would be at risk of failing workplace drug tests at some point. Momentum for workplace drug testing is building, however. A British inquiry, published in 2004, found around 4 percent of UK employers were already engaged in workforce drug-testing and a further 9 percent said they were likely to introduce tests in 2005. It found that 78 percent of employers would consider testing if productivity was believed to be at stake. Testing is commonplace in the United States, where the rhetoric for drug-free workplaces is strong. Dr Wray-Bliss said many organisations introduce drug testing because they believe it to be best practice, but the evidence for its effectiveness is lacking. For example, there is no reason to test clerical workers, Dr Wray-Bliss said.
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