Coke certainly delivered a rush. Brewed to contain a massive dose of cocaine, the drink was virtually guaranteed to succeed. Not surprisingly, many over-the-counter medicines started boosting their appeal by including the coca leaf extract. By the end of the century, however, public attitudes began turning. Rather than a cure, cocaine came to be seen as a ruinous addiction. Coke responded by radically cutting the cocaine in the drink, and by 1903 there was none, though the product still contained (and to this day contains) flavoring from the same coca leaf that earlier provided the drug. Finally, in 1914, the Harrison Act effectively outlawed the sale and distribution of cocaine both on its own and as an ingredient.

The other side of the original Coca-Cola jolt came from the kola nut, which added a slightly bitter taste to the drink, and lots of caffeine. ("Coca" corresponds with the coca leaf and cocaine, "Cola" with the kola nut and caffeine.) That additive also fell out of the public's favor, though not to the extent or depth of cocaine. In 1911, the US government sued to get the substance removed on the grounds of its pernicious effects, but failed (United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola). The next year the Food and Drug Act defined caffeine as "habit forming" and "deleterious," and required that the substance be listed on Coke's label.

1. In a web posting, mmafan, from Dayton, Ohio, writes about his experience working for the Coca-Cola company: "We even had someone witness a merchandiser, on the clock, in uniform, and in a company vehicle, smoking a joint in a store parking lot.Not only did the union prevent Coke from terminating or disciplining him, they protected him from submitting to a drug test.So Coke had to just let it go.All the union did was protect the lazy, the incompetent, and the screw-ups if you ask me."[12]

In response, the union could mount a number of arguments to defend their decision to not let Coke administer a drug test.The most frequently cited ethical reasons to refuse drug tests are the following:

• To protect the right to privacy
• To protect the right to freedom
• Because of slippery slope concerns
• Because of imperfect testing

Which of these kinds of arguments would best support the union's decision to protect the employee from a drug test?

What would the argument look like?

2. Mmafan believes the union did nothing more than "protect the lazy, the incompetent, and the screw-ups."This complaint is actually the root of a powerful and thoughtful ethical argument in favor of drug testing because drug-free workplaces maximize employee performance.

Fill out the argument:

A. Whose obligations are served by drug tests?

B. What are those obligations?

C. Name an ethical theory that forcefully supports the use of drug testing in the workplace.What's the reasoning?