Drug Testing of State Workers (H 5351)

The ACLU testified before the House Labor committee in February in opposition to legislation requiring random drug testing of employees driving state-owned vehicles. The state of Rhode Island has for years recognized the problems with random drug testing, and has prohibited such testing except when the employer has reason to believe the employee is using drugs. Paradoxically, the ACLU pointed out, random drug testing is least likely to be able to recognize hard drugs like cocaine, which metabolize out of the system quickly. Instead, random drug testing would be most likely to reveal the use of legal drugs like prescription medication, and decriminalized drugs like marijuana, leaving employees vulnerable to losing their jobs for consumption of noncriminal substances while off the clock. The bill was not voted on in committee.