Argument On Drug Testing Essay Research Paper

Argument On Drug Testing Essay, Research Paper

From workplace to school, from professional sports to the armed forces, the advent of drug-testing procedures has stirred debate and controversy. The issue of drug testing in athletics seems to be the most prevalent debate. An incident that really brought drug testing into the spotlight is the track and field event in the 1988 Summer World Olympic Games. The two competitors in the limelight were Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson, both excellent and very emulating runners who have beaten each other in past competitions. This was the opportunity for the whole world to see who the true champion was after the 100 meter dash. In a quick ten seconds, Ben Johnson crossed the finish line as a champion, and from then on he was known as the fastest man alive. A week later a drug test was administered to Ben Johnson, and he then confessed to being a user of an illegal drug, anabolic steroids. Since the use of any kind of illegal drugs, including steroids, was and still is against Olympic regulations, Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal, that was then awarded to Carl Lewis (Galas,1997). Due to this incident and many others, drug testing should be enforced because it provides drug using athletes an unfair advantage, can eliminate any potential drug related health problems, and so that children can have worthy role-models to look up to and admire.

Although designed to protect and thereby curtail the use of illegal drugs, the well-intended procedure of testing athletes involves many difficult issues, such as the issue of privacy. Those against drug testing feel that it should be banned because it violates the Fourth Amendment which defends and protects the rights of the American citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures. The amendment states that The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (Cornell.edu). Many feel that the act of testing a person for illegal drugs is an invasion of one s privacy. What an athlete wishes to do with his/her own body, whether being good or bad, is that athlete s prerogative and cannot be infringed. No matter how strenuous the circumstances may be, every one deserves that right of privacy and no individual should be permitted to partake in the invasion of it.

Another opposition to drug testing is that the results from drug tests are not always 100 percent accurate due to non-certified laboratories, not carefully watched specimens, and no follow up tests being administered. Opposers feel, a false-positive is the finding by a drug test of a drug that is not, in fact, present in the tested sample (Levine, 1998, p. 102). This can occur when specimens get mixed up. Also tests can pick up substances that are contained in simple over-the-counter products or food that can make the test come back positive (Levine, 1998). All some test show is a person came into contact with some type of drug at one time. Tests may not give sufficient information to indicate the way the drug got into a person s body (Levine, 1998, p.103). Due to these uncertainties and suspicions, athletes can be wrongfully accused of being a drug abuser and therefore might possibly be wrongfully punished.

In addition to not being 100 percent accurate the act of tampering with samples can lead to falsified specimens. “There have also been accusations of cheating, when urine samples are collected. Some athletes say that it is easy to switch bottles or to bribe an official to swap the athlete s dirty sample of urine for a clean one before it is tested” (Goldma & Klatz, 1992, p. 41). Therefore, drug testing can be highly ineffective and unproductive in ceasing drug usage due to these dubieties.

Another opposition to drug testing is that some specimens that come back positive are insulting and offensive to other athletes, whether being teammates or rival players. Some teammates might possibly be embarrassed to be part of a team where players are involved in illegal activities, such as the use of drugs and steroids. When an athlete from a certain team or school has a test that comes back positive, then those athletes who play by the rules and have negative tests feel as though everyone from that particular organization has a label as a drug abuser. For example, Lawrence Taylor, a football player for the New York Giants was recently suspended because of drug abuse. Most recent interviews showed his former and current friends having to defend the entire Giant franchisee and the NFL s football program because of Taylor s drug use. Also, those opposed to drug testing also believe that it makes drug-free people feel degraded due to the use of drugs taken by their teammates, coaches, and friends (Mohun, 1998).

Although there are many legitimate reasons why people would not want drug testing to occur, the positive reasons tend to outweigh the negatives. There are many benefits toward drug testing in athletics. One benefit of drug testing is that athletes may have an unfair advantage over other athletes who are not on drugs. Testing can help restore an athlete s faith in the fairness of sports competition. Although testing does not alw