Review of the following book: ROBERT THOMPSON, JR., SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND EMPLOYEE REHABILITATION (BNA Books 1990) [485 pp.] Appendices, bibliography, index, table of cases. LC-90-2629; ISBN 0-87179-649-

Gleason, John M.

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RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)Volume 2Number 2 RISK: Issues in Health & Safety Article 7March 1991Book ReviewJohn M. GleasonFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/riskPart of the Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons, and the Work, Economy andOrganizations CommonsThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Hampshire – School of Law at University of New HampshireScholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002) by an authorized editor of University ofNew Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact ellen.phillips@law.unh.edu.Repository CitationJohn M. Gleason, Book Review, 2 RISK 183 (1991).Book ReviewROBERT THOMPSON, JR., SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND EMPLOYEEREHABILITATION (BNA Books 1990) [485 pp.] Appendices, bibliography,index, table of cases. LC-90-2629; ISBN 0-87179-649-X [$40.00 P.O.B. 7816,Edison NJ 08818-7816.]This book is designed to deal with both the theoretical and practicalaspects of substance abuse programs. Accordingly, the main text of thebook (three parts, twelve chapters, 305 pages) deals with substanceabuse policies, procedures, and rehabilitation programs, whereas theappendices provide a variety of source materials useful to those involvedin the development of substance abuse programs.The first part of the book consists of two chapters that provideintroductory information on workplace substance abuse and a review oflegislation and legal implications related thereto. The three chapters inpart two provide guidelines for establishing substance abuse policies,procedures, and training. Part three deals with establishing substanceabuse programs, and includes chapters dealing with employee assistanceprograms, rehabilitation referral programs, inpatient programs,outpatient programs, and aftercare and long-term rehabilitationprograms.The appendices distinguish this book from others that cover similarmaterial, and their titles indicate the types of useful informationprovided: Drugs of Abuse; Glossary of Substance Abuse Terminology;Model Policy, Procedure, and Program; Substance Abuse Policies;Substance Abuse Procedures; Substance Abuse Programs; FederalControlled Substances Act, Schedules of Controlled Substances;Alcoholics Anonymous Materials; and Codes of Professional Conductfor EAPs.2 RISK -Issues in Health & Safety 183 [Spring 1991]The main text will be of interest to many readers, but I expect thatthe appendices will be the most-used part of the book for those activelyinvolved in the development and day-to-day administration of workplacesubstance abuse programs. The Drugs of Abuse appendix, for example,provides a description of each type of drug, the short-term and long-term effects and a list of code (or, street) names of the drug. Theappendix on substance abuse policies provides sample policies for alarge manufacturing company, a large service company, a small citygovernment, and a large utility. The appendices, therefore, provide auseful single source for a variety of information that, heretofore, mayhave been available only in a number of scattered sources.However, readers attempting to deal with substance abuse problemsin smaller organizations, should not adopt, verbatim, the model policies,procedures, and programs. This is similar to using forms from a legal"how-to" book, rather than consulting an attorney to draft a will.Also statements in the book may lead readers to undertakeprocedures that could cause problems. For example, at 80, Thompsonstates "And, in spite of occasional protestations otherwise, an employercan rely on a confirmed positive drug test (confirmed by gaschromatography and mass spectrometry (GCIMS) ) in making decisionson substance abuse." Elsewhere, I have cited a variety of articlesindicating that false positives do occur, even in well-designed and well-controlled processes in which GCIMS confirmation was used. 1 In onerecent case reported in the news media, five of seven confirmed positivemethamphetamine tests reported by a laboratory over a six-month periodwere false positives. These tests were conducted in a NIDA-certifiedlaboratory under the Department of Transportation drug testing programwhich requires GC/MS confirmation.1 See, e.g., 1266 TRANSPORTATION RECORD 10 (1990); 2 RISK 3 (1991).Book Review 185Thompson also indicates, at 99, that "... federal rules for selectingindividuals for random testing provide a variety of means of selectionincluding selecting social security numbers at random by acomputer...." There are underlying technical issues which could lead toproblems for an employer who follows such a process. For example, avariety of problems with faulty computer random number generatorshave been identified in the literature. My own research has shown thatcomputer random number generators cannot be relied upon to generatesequences of number that pass even the most fundamental statisticaltests for randomness.2 Thus, care must be taken if such generators areto be used in random drug testing processes.In summary, Thompson's book, especially its interesting collectionof appendices, provides a useful resource in the development andadministration of workplace drug testing programs. However, too muchreliance on some of the author's statements could be problematic. Infact, the types of technical issues discussed above provide clearevidence that, in this complicated area of substance abuse, one must beaware not only of legal technicalities but also those identified by otherdisciplines.John M. Gleasont2 See, e.g., 30 COMP. METH. & PRoG. BIOMED. 43 (1989); 2(4) GEOBYTE 38(1987).f Professor, College of Business Administration and Fellow, Center for HealthPolicy and Ethics, Creighton University.2 RISK -Issues in Health & Safety 183 [Spring 1991]

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