While we have looked at the statistics and the facts in the matter of drug related accidents around the workplace, and it does indicate very strongly that companies are spending more money on the tests then they are losing in liability related to those accidents, the facts remain that more of those accidents can be directly linked to drug usage than anything else. So, encouraging them to change their policies or abandon them altogether would be fruitless. Despite the loss of money the company has to deal with because of the tests being done it doesn’t prevent the accidents from being so highly correlated to prescription drug use and abuse.

While we would also like to believe that only the larger companies with oversized factory floors where there are many conveyer belts, and forklifts and other large and dangerous pieces of machinery get used daily are the ones affected by this, it isn’t always the case. There have been cases where those in much smaller situations caused harm because of their prescription drug abuse and use. In 2008 a lawyer had to resign because of his impaired judgment due to his addiction. Many doctors have also been sued or lost their licenses because they were using prescription medications while performing surgery or interacting with patients. It is sometimes a harsh reality to face, but the reality is there, people in charge of our well-being or deciding our fates in a court of law, or even handling our food at the restaurant we frequent could very well be under the influence of a strong medication that makes it difficult for them to do their jobs as well as they potentially could. Just because sometimes the prescription medications allow a person to do a job at all, doesn’t mean this is always a good thing.