Two hundred twenty six arbitration outcomes in alcohol and drug discip
linary cases were investigated to examine illicit drug effects on arbi
tral decision making. We examined these effects on arbitrators' final
decisions and the standards or decision cues that arbitrators use to j
ustify their decisions. We also examined interactions of illicit drugs
and standards of proof and looked at decisions in two different time
spans to determine if changing societal attitudes about alcohol and dr
ugs might have an effect. In this study, arbitrators were less lenient
with illicit drug users than with legal drug users. This finding sugg
ests that an illicit drug effect may exist in other distributive justi
ce scenarios.