[2] President Ronald Reagan signed the law due to the amount of drug abuse occurring in the military.

[3] The policy put out by the United States Department of Labor states it is illegal for employees "to manufacture, distribute, dispense or have in possession prohibited controlled substances"[4] Under the law, any employer in a covered industry such as federal contracting, trucking, or oil and gas must develop and enforce a policy on drug use in the workplace.

[5] While the majority of states have legalized marijuana in some form, covered employers are still required to treat marijuana use as a disciplinable offense under the Drug-Free Workplace Act, as it is still considered a controlled substance under federal law.

The government agency who published the contract determines if a violation has occurred and what, if any, penalty should be assessed.

This article incorporates public domain material from Drug-Free Workplace Advisor.