 [68] TALK.POLITICS.DRUGS (1:375/48)  TALK.POLITICS.DRUGS 
 Msg  : #3934 [221]                                                             
 From : Jerry Gally                         1:2613/335      Thu 25 Aug 94 14:41 
 To   : All                                                                     
 Subj : Highway Piss Tests                                                      

From: gally@raistlan.network.com (Jerry Gally)
Organization: Network Systems Corporation

This morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story about a new weapon
in the War On the Constitution.

Apparently there is a locale in this great country which has a police
van equiped with a toilet and video cameras to facilitate urine
sampling of motorists who violate traffic laws.

The idea behind this mobile excrement lab is to determine if people who
violate traffic laws test positive for drug use.  Apparently this
procedure is reserved for motorists who show no apparent signs of
alcohol inebriation.

Initial reports of this endeavor are that over %50 of the motorists
tested in this manner had positive indications of drug use.

The report went on to say that, according to the law enforcement
officials conducting the operation, the tests were intended to
ascertain cocaine and/or marijuana usage.  The article also
suggested that although _some_ of the positive results can be
attributed to large quantities of drug consumption several days prior to
the tests, most of the positive test results were from people who
were under the influence of drugs at the time they were tested.

The article did not state whether drug use charges were filed as
a result of the positive tests.

Which begs the question: is urine testing sufficient for criminal
charges?  (perhaps not today, but how 'bout after the drug warriors
get this thought in their heads?)

And what will the future hold for us when employers mandate government
sponsored drug testing which includes the possibility of criminal
prosecution?

I suspect Bill Bennet and friends are higher than a kite with the
adrenalin rush such thoughts provide them.

And heaven help you if you are scared pissless when _your_ local
boys in blue escort you to the porta-potty for changing lanes
without signaling.

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 [68] TALK.POLITICS.DRUGS (1:375/48)  TALK.POLITICS.DRUGS 
 Msg  : #3838 [200] - 3176                                                      
 From : GregT10548                          1:2613/335      Fri 26 Aug 94 00:15 
 To   : All                                                                     
 Subj : Highway Piss Tests                                                      

From: gregt10548@aol.com (GregT10548)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

In article <Cv3FD7.31y@network.com>, gally@raistlan.network.com (Jerry
Gally) writes:

>This morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story about a new weapon
>in the War On the Constitution.

>Apparently there is a locale in this great country which has a police
>van equiped with a toilet and video cameras to facilitate urine
>sampling of motorists who violate traffic laws.

I saw this in the wonderful New Orleans Times-Picayune and would like to
add a few other sad points about the article.

The author of the article is Daniel Q. Haney and he is listed as the AP
science writer.

The city is Memphis Tenn.

The test used gave results in ten minutes.  It is reasonable to conclude
that this is not the most accurate test available.

The article said "While a positive result often means people have taken
drugs in recent hours, those who regularly use very high amounts of
cocains or marijuana may flunk the tests although they have been off the
drugs for days."  I found it interesting that the AP science writer was
unaware that the metabolites from marijuana can remain in the system for
weeks, even for moderate users.

Dr. Daniel Brookoff of Methodist Hospital in Memphis wrote up the results
of this test for todays issue of New England Journal of Medicine.  If
anyone can get a copy of that article I for one would appreciate it.

Brookoff got involved in the issue when a reckless driver hit a friend's
two daughters.  Brookoff *believes* the driver was on marijuana, but there
is no evidence for this.

Brookoff says "The reality is, we think its as big a problem, maybe
bigger, as drunk driving."  I don't suppose that this guys opinion is
biased at all.

Brookoff continues his brilliant analyses.  "We saw people that did great
on the sobriety test.  The problem was that they were driving 90 miles an
hour down the wrong side of the road with their lights off."  Note that
when asked to take the sobriety tests the drivers that tested positive for
cocaine performed better than people that passed all tests.  But Brookoff
still comes to the conclusion that despite no evidence of physical
impairment the drivers must have been on drugs.

>The article did not state whether drug use charges were filed as
>a result of the positive tests.

Memphis police made 111 arrests for driving under the influence of drugs
during the study.  I would like to know if anyone fought the charges and
what the results were.

>And what will the future hold for us when employers mandate government
>sponsored drug testing which includes the possibility of criminal
>prosecution?

Kinda scary huh.

                                              Greg
*******
Scuse me while I kiss the sky.

                           Jimi Hendrix
*******



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