Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jul 2002
Source: News Leader, The (VA)
Copyright: 2002 News Leader
Contact: http://www.newsleader.com/customerservice/contact.html
Website: http://www.newsleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1985
Author: Redford Givens

DRUG TEST MAKERS BENEFIT FROM TESTING

The News Leader shows little respect for the Bill of Rights when you say 
that suspicionless drug testing is "fair" and should be expanded to all 
students. The News Leader says the purpose of drug tests "is not to punish, 
but to prevent," but ignores the negative effects effects of a positive 
test, which could mean removing the kid from school.

Besides turning a blind eye to the destructive aspects of student drug 
tests The News Leader fails to mention the huge body of scientific evidence 
refuting the value of drug testing for any purpose. No questions are 
directed at the sheer hypocrisy of testing dozens of innocent people for 
every "positive" found.

Drug testing is an enormous scam created by Republicans like Robert L 
DuPont (former White House drug czar), Carlton Turner (former drug czar) 
and Peter Bensinger (former head of NIDA.) After promoting urine testing 
and making drug tests a mandatory part of many federal contracts during 
their years in government office, these self-interested charlatans formed 
one of the largest urine testing companies in the United States (Bensinger, 
DuPont & Associates -- "Specializing in problems of addiction in the 
workplace") and contracting as advisors to 250 of the largest US 
corporations to corner the market they had created. This conflict of 
interest should always be remembered when mandatory drug testing is mentioned.

A recent study from the Le Moyne College Institute of Industrial Relations 
demolishes unscientific claims for improved productivity and safety for 
employees subjected to drug tests because companies that use random or 
pre-employment drug testing had 20 percent lower productivity than those 
who do not test and drug testing actually increases safety problems.

Because drug testing provides no measurable improvements in profits, 
productivity or safety over 50 percent of small businesses abandon drug 
testing within two years.

The sellers of drug tests are the only ones who benefit from drug testing 
policies. Everyone else loses. Especially when the Bill of Rights is 
diminished for fraudulent schemes like drug testing.

If The News Leader's editors are so enthused about suspicionless drug 
testing, no doubt they are willing to forego their own Fourth Amendment 
rights to privacy in the interest of promoting a long-failed drug crusade.

REDFORD GIVENS

San Francisco
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