Public Support for Mandatory Drug-Alcohol Testing in the Workplace

Abstract
In both the public and private sectors, mandatory testing for substance abuse has become a salient policy issue. Testing programs have spread rapidly, and the prudence of this policy has come under scrutiny. Based on a 1987 survey of 258 Cincinnati residents, the present study attempts to assess the extent to which citizens endorse the campaign to expand the scope of employee testing for substance abuse. In general, the data suggest that the public supports the policy of testing. Support is strongest when programs are proposed for workers whose impairment would jeopardize public safety (e.g., airline pilots). In contrast, more dissensus is evident when the policy proposal is to bring all workers under the purview of mandatory drug-alcohol testing.

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