Concerns With Drug Testing in the Workplace
More and more employers are now implementing drug testing in the workplace. Private business and government agencies both are beginning to recognise how beneficial workplace drug testing can be. It is, however, not without issues. Controversies about drug testing abound, particularly when it’s random in nature or requires urine samples. Workers protest that drug tests of this kind is an invasion of their privacy, and therein lies much of the issues with drug testing in the workplace.
A surge in drug-related crimes in the Victorian cities of Wodonga and Wangaratta is being blamed for the rising use of the illegal drug ice in the state, reports Tahlia McPherson for Dungog Chronicle.
If you’re an employer and you haven’t drafted a clear cut workplace drug and alcohol policy just yet, don’t worry. You’re not alone, as countless other companies have yet to formally write down rules for their employees to follow as far as drugs and alcohol are concerned. However, don’t take too long to come up with a drug and alcohol policy for the workplace. Every single day counts, and you wouldn’t want to be dealing with a drug and alcohol-related issue in the workplace when you don’t have a policy in place.
In a rare show of leniency when implementing drug policy, an Australian company has given an employee who tested positive for drugs a second chance to provide a clear test, according to an article written by Cara Waters for Smart Company.
Workplace drug testing has been around for some time now, but controversies continue to hound it. These controversies are hardly surprising. Workplace drug testing, after all, will always be a contentious matter because it essentially triggers a collision between the interests of the worker and the interests of the employer. Employers want them done in the name of workplace health and safety and business productivity, while workers typically cry invasion of privacy and dignity robbery when forced to undergo workplace drug testing. 
Cocaine use in Sydney has become rampant, with weekly earnings of drug dealers soaring to $35,000, according to a report by The Daily Telegraph.
Drinking alcohol has always been a seemingly indispensable aspect of life among Australians. For most Aussies, alcohol consumption will always be present whether they are at parties and other social gatherings or just plain relaxing at home or on vacation. Australians are touted to have a heavy drinking culture, but in fairness, most Aussies drink alcohol at levels where they don’t really suffer adverse effects. That, however, couldn’t be said of a significant number of Australians. 
Surveys and reports almost always mention Australians as having a heavy drinking culture, but a new survey reveals that many Australians believe their drinking level is only average.