Pubdate: Thu, 27 Dec 2007
Source: Fayetteville Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2007 Fayetteville Observer
Contact:  http://www.fayobserver.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/150
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

THE TIME ISN'T RIGHT FOR EVANS' DRUG-TESTING PROPOSAL

Few communities force elected officials to submit to drug tests. But 
a number of cities have explored the possibility, usually in the wake 
of drug scandals involving local leaders.

More often than not, the proposals are soundly rejected, for two 
reasons: A strong case can be made that the mandatory drug testing of 
officials violates the Fourth Amendment's ban of unreasonable 
searches and seizures. And policies that encourage officials to get 
tested on a voluntary basis can be a charade that wastes time and tax dollars.

Councilman Charles Evans' recent suggestion that Fayetteville begin 
testing all council members for illegal drug use drew similar 
criticism. It is unlikely that the proposal will get support at the 
council's Jan. 7 work session. Evans has good intentions. The 
District 2 representative has always been candid about his past. He 
is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, and in 1992 he pleaded 
guilty to two counts of embezzlement and one count of felony 
possession of cocaine.

He stopped using drugs and alcohol in 2001, four years before taking 
office. And today, at least some of his supporters view the checkered 
past as a plus, proof Evans can relate to his most down-and-out 
constituents, a sign he has worked hard to get where he is.

But there are also plenty of people who question his sobriety. A 
recent round of rumors that he might have relapsed into drug abuse 
prompted Evans to take a drug test to prove he is clean. Now he wants 
the rest of the council to do the same.

There are times when drug-testing policies for officials make sense. 
Last year, council members in Burbank, Calif. began voluntarily 
submitting to random drug and alcohol testing after a former 
councilwoman was convicted of drug possession and child endangerment. 
Public support for the measure was overwhelming, and the policy 
helped the scandal-weary town move forward. There is no such outcry 
in Fayetteville. Any suspicion of drug use by officeholders can be 
handled through law enforcement methods already in place. Evans is in 
a tough spot. He may spend the remainder of his career trying to 
prove he is sober. But the other council members don't have a 
responsibility to help him do it. The council has pressing issues in 
the new year. Drug testing shouldn't become an unnecessary distraction. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake