Drug Testing and Privacy

Book excerpt: "The growing pressures in society and government for drug testing programs and the intrusiveness of both testing procedures and their results on personal privacy led the Privacy Commissioner to undertake a review of federal government drug testing policy and practice. While there is no doubt that drug testing infringes personal privacy in a profound sense, one must not be blind to the need to protect the public interest. R.I.D.E. programs, for example, are seen as justifiable intrusions on private rights to safeguard the public good, even in light of the Charter of Rights. The recommendations contained in this report are offered as a contribution to the ongoing debate and a guide to government. The development of drug testing policies and practices which respect the requirements of the Privacy Act and which keep in appropriate balance public and private rights will be a unique anddifficult challenge"--Introduction, p.2.