by American Civil Liberties Union

About the author: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a New York City organization that champions the human rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It has many local chapters across the United States.

Today, in some industries, taking a drug test is as routine as filling out a job application.

In fact, workplace drug testing is up 277 percent from 1987—despite the fact that random drug testing is unfair, often inaccurate and unproven as a means of stopping drug use.

But because there are few laws protecting our privacy in the workplace, millions of American workers are tested yearly—even though they aren’t suspected of drug use.

Employers have the right to expect workers not to be high or drunk on the job...