Three hundred and three internists, family physicians, gastroenterologists, and psychiatrists completed questionnaires covering variables such as personal experiences with drugs, clinical experience, religious beliefs, political ideology, and attitudes toward drug use, drug treatments, and legalization of drugs. The results of the survey show that attitudes toward drug testing among physicians correlated to their personal attitudes toward permissibility of drug use, legalization of drug use, and perception of drug use as a social problem. Attitudes toward testing were related to age, family size, and religious and political orientation. Physicians' attitudes toward drug testing strongly represents their personal views rather than scientific or clinical expertise. 4 tables and 19 references. (Author abstract modified)