As I enjoy my daily glass of red wine, I’m wondering if one day I might lose my job because I drink. How many unhealthy habits do people have that cost the rest of us money: eating fast food and obesity, smoking, driving motorcycles, drinking alcohol? These habits and behaviors are legal, but some companies are starting down a slippery slope. A new trend in some organizations is to not only ban smoking, but to ban smokers. 
The argument laid out by one such company, St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is that it’s unfair for those who don’t smoke to pay for the medical care of those who do. Although this may be true, the flip side of the coin is that smoking is an addiction and smokers need help, not discrimination. Being penalized for a legal behavior by not being able to work may not be the best method for helping them to quit.
Some employees have already lost their jobs for smoking after they were hired and some of these companies are instituting nicotine testing to catch cheaters. Talk about Big Brother watching over your shoulder! Although there are already tests available to monitor abuse of alcohol, which could be dangerous on the job, using tests for something that doesn’t interfere with someone’s ability to do their job is extreme. Even some anti-smoking groups oppose this move as too intrusive. I don’t like paying for smokers’ illnesses or watching them take “smoke-breaks” while I’m working, but job discrimination isn’t the right way to go. Let’s help them quit, not punish them.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com