Pubdate: Tue, 03 Jul 2012
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2012 New Zealand Herald
Contact:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300
Author: Claire Trevett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

ADDICTS ESCAPE BENEFICIARY DRUG TESTING

The Government has ruled out universal drug testing of all 
beneficiaries, with drug and alcohol addicts being exempted from 
sanctions for refusing or failing a drug test when applying for a job.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said there were no plans to 
make a drug test a condition of going on a benefit and about 6100 
people who were on sickness or invalid's benefits because of drug or 
alcohol abuse or addiction would be exempt.

Those assessed as having a genuine addiction in the future would also 
be exempt.

That group did not have work testing requirements until their doctor 
deemed them ready for work. There was currently no obligation for 
them to get any form of treatment for their addiction, but Ms Bennett 
indicated that could change.

"We're still working our way through that policy detail."

Prime Minister John Key said there were no plans to drug-test all 
beneficiaries, and arguments that drug users were using welfare to 
pay for their drugs could also be applied to other areas, such as 
smoking and alcohol.

"Some people would say people on benefits shouldn't smoke or 
shouldn't drink. Everyone has their own views on those matters. For 
the most part, other than very young people, we are leaving people to 
make their own assessment but our expectations are clear - if you can 
work, you should work and if the only reason you're not working is 
because you're failing a drug test because of recreational drug use, 
we think that's unacceptable and the Government is going to do 
something about that."

Ms Bennett said full details of the sanctions against recreational 
drug users were yet to be finalised but it was likely someone who 
failed an initial drug test by an employer would be given a grace 
period of three to four weeks to return "clean". If they then failed 
a drug test, they would be sanctioned by losing part of their 
benefit. They could later recoup that by staying clean - but would 
lose more if they kept reporting back with drugs in their system.

It was yet to be decided whether the follow-up drug tests, which cost 
about $77, would be organised by Work and Income itself or left to 
employers as part of their usual job screening.

Ms Bennett said it was possible Work and Income - which did no drug 
testing itself at present - would reimburse employers if a 
beneficiary failed an employer's drug test.

"We are worried they might not take on beneficiaries if they think 
they won't pass and they then have to cover that cost. So the way the 
policy is looking is that we will pay for the drug test if it is positive."

She said the grace period had to take into account the length of time 
it took for drugs to leave the body. Drug testing experts had advised 
her that while drugs such as P left the body within days, traces of 
marijuana could still be detected weeks later.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said the penalties might 
work on recreational users, but the policy did not address the bigger 
problem of those with real addictions.

"It's going to be difficult to implement and the big question 
remains: once you identify someone with a problem, how do you get 
them the help required? There is a group of people who are drug 
dependent and no amount of stick will shift them, I don't think."

Mr Bell said drug-testing policies overseas had not worked - British 
Prime Minister David Cameron's Government had backed away from a 
similar policy and in Florida mandatory drug tests to get welfare 
benefits prompted legal challenges from human rights groups, which 
said it cost more to reimburse applicants who passed the test than it 
would have to pay for the benefits of those who failed.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom