Take This Leak and Shove It

Reader Ari Spanier points to a story about how the blood, sweat, and tears (forget the toil) of federal workers may soon be subject to more stringent drug-testing procedures. Consider it a full-employment program for those in what might be called the effluvia industry.

Gov't Workers May Face Drug Test Changes

[snip]

Saliva testing, done using a swab that looks much like a toothbrush but with a pad instead of bristles, is best at detecting drug use within the past one or two days.

Hair testing, in which a sample about the thickness of a shoelace is clipped at the root from the back of the head, allows detection of many drugs used as far back as 3 months.

Sweat testing, in which workers are fitted with a patch that is worn for two weeks, is used to screen people who have returned to work after drug treatment.

Last year, Reason's Jacob Sullum looked at the way in which the federal government sets the pace for private workplace drug testing–and how the relevance of such tests to job performance is sketchy at best. Read all about it here.