The Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcoholism and other Drugs said on Monday it was against urine tests carried out by some companies to check if their apprentices used drugs.

In a communiqué from its headquarters in Lausanne, it said such tests were not reliable and posed a threat to people's private lives without contributing to prevention.

"The tests are far from being reliable and are easy to manipulate. They also are a violation of people's privacy if they are carried out unwillingly," said Michel Graf, the Institute's deputy director.

"This kind of testing hardly dissuades youngsters and everybody knows that top athletes easily outsmart these tests," he added.

The Institute said that the tests had the effect of making people try to hide the truth and undermined the confidence that was indispensable in prevention work.

It added that almost a half of youngsters of apprentice age had tried cannabis at least once.

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