Although the controversial aspect of this policy does not seem to bother two Georgia lawmakers, Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, and Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell. They plan to introduce this policy into legislation, where in order to obtain welfare benefits a person must pass a drug test first.

This bill would apply only to people who are collecting welfare through the TANF (Temporarily Assistance for Needy Families) agency. According the the U.S. Census Bureau 50,000 people in Georgia receive this assistance, in which they are paid cash for up to five years over their lifetimes.

In a news release Spencer stated that, “Georgia taxpayers have a vested interest in making sure that their hard-earned tax dollars are not being used to subsidize drug addiction. In these tough economic times, it is easy to understand that many deserving families need some temporary help until they can bounce back financially — that’s why we have public assistance programs like TANF. This additional eligibility requirement will simply ensure that those funds are used for that intended purpose.”

Those receiving food stamps or other public assistance will not apply.

Under Spencer’s bill, a failed drug test will result in being ineligible for TANF for a month. If after that month a second failed drug test occurs they will be ineligible for a total of three months. An applicant will then be given a third chance, and if failed they will be banned from the program for a total of three years.

This policy will not affect children, who are excused from taking the required drug test. Even if their parent fails a drug test, the child will still get their amount of money.

It is known that since the 1960s drugs have had a presence in the surfing world. It is due to this, that debate over whether surfing is competitive or a creative outlet has been fought for numerous years.

Many surfers have lost their lives due to drug abuse, including Andy Irons. Irons was considered one of the greatest surfers of all time and a three time world champion. He overdosed and died alone in his hotel room last year.

The ASP stated to not have any knowledge regarding his drug problem. But Randy Rarick who is the Hawaiian event representative stated that “it’s been a long time coming,” referring to the drug tests.

Now, as a result of the latest board meeting ASP CEO, Brodie Carr has resigned and drug testing has been implemented. Carr decided to resign after what happened in the Kelly Slater world title announcement.

Slater was awarded the 2011 surfing world title, during the third round which was incorrect. Days later he was given the trophy, but only after round four.

Rarick stated that Carr wasn’t the only person to offer to resign, but he insisted that he be the one. According to Rarick, Carr told the board the “he’s an employee, he’s under me.”

Candidates have already applied for Carr’s position. “The press release hadn’t been out an hour and we were already getting applications,” Rarick said. His replacement will most likely be a business leader.

“Whether the guy surfs or not is not a prerequisite, but anybody who applies is going to be a surf enthusiast. I don’t think you’re going to see an ex pro surfer. We’re going to be looking for business and management skills.”

Many within the organization are not surprised at these players failed drug tests. It is well known within the industry that professional athletes are prone to drug abuse during their off seasons.

The players who tested positive include the Redskins tight end Fred Davis and offensive tackle Trent Williams. It is unclear who, but one of the eleven players had previously tested positive, therefore this is his second offense and is facing suspension. The other players will be able to play and will only face being fined.

Regarding this incident a player rep is quoted as saying:

“I told De that this was a concern of a number of players after the lockout ended and he said, ‘I got you covered,’ ” one of the player reps said. “I went back and told the players, ‘Look, whatever it is you’ve been doing, you need to stop and be ready, but that we would probably have a 30-day grace period before the league started testing.

“Then we get to camp and [the league is] testing us on Day 2. Guys are looking at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. It was embarrassing. I called the union and I was told there were a lot of things that fell through the cracks at the last minute.”

George Atallah, the spokesman for NFLPA has refrained to comment on this drug testing issue.

“At this stage there is lots of details that we need to work out,” said Karen Stintz the TTC chair. “We need to work out how often employees get tested. What happens after they receive a test. What happens with a positive test. What those costs are and how we’re going to phase that in.”

This will be the very first transit operation in Canada to drug tests it workers to ensure the safety of the riders.

“Riders can have the knowledge that we have random drug and alcohol testing at the commission and we’re doing all we can to have a safe operating environment – and that operators are fit for duty when they show up to work,” said Stintz.

The final doubt came on August 30^th when a mishap occurred and Jadranka Petrova, 43, was killed. The driver, William Ainsworth a 51-year old , who is charged with criminal negligence causing death and marijuana possession.

The TTC stated that since 2005 there have been a minimal amount of 78 incidents with employees abusing drugs and alcohol, although it is not clear if all of these incidents happened while on the job.

“We can tell you there have been ongoing incidents since 2008 and that based on the results of those we believe that our ‘fit for duty policy’ should — and can be — strengthened,” said Stintz.

The president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, Bob Kinnear, who speaks for most of the TTC worker’s stated the new policy is “a violation of our Charter rights.” He says a legal challenge is guaranteed. He also stated that the union supports drug testing but says mouth swab drug tests are invasive.

“These tests in no way, shape, or form, determine impairment at the time — and that’s what we are all trying to alleviate,” he proclaimed.

According to The New York Times there are currently legislators in 36 states that have proposed required drug testing for people who receive welfare benefits. These laws have passed in states such as Indiana, Arizona, Missouri and many others. The American Civil Liberties Union has been highly busy this year due to suing the state of Florida on grounds of unreasonable search and seizure due to their drug test laws. In Florida a beneficiary of welfare must pay for their own drug test, and does not receive welfare checks if a positive drug test occurs.

The laws and proposals for drug testing recipients of lower income government aid has stirred up quite the controversy. Supporters of these drug testing laws feel that this will ensure that their tax dollars will be spent accordingly. They feel in this hard economic time of budget constraints it’s important to ensure that their tax money is not enabling support for drug habits.

On the other side, critics of the drug testing laws feel that this portrays negative stereotypes about the lower income class. They are concerned that these testing programs will prevent some recipients from receiving the aid they need for basic necessities, which could result in an even worse drug addiction mental state resulting in an increased demand for substance abuse treatment.

At the moment there are around 20 states that will not provide unemployment money for workers who lost their jobs due to drug abuse. Over a dozen states currently do not allow welfare benefits for anyone who was convicted of a drug felony. Also some states, such as Kentucky, are proposing to require drug testing for other government programs such as food stamps and home heating assistance.

These drug charges are opening many employers’ eyes to increased prescription drug abuse in the workplace, according to the experts. Increased use brings on the need for updated drug testing procedures.

Disclosing prescription drug abuse in the workplace is highly difficult in some situations. Many of the drug tests used by employers are not able to detect the use of painkillers or other prescription drugs. Last year out of the 4.5 million drug tests that were administered, only 12% of the tests could detect oxycodone, a commonly abused painkiller. Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stated, “These problems with prescription drugs, the addiction rates, the abuse rates, are happening in a lot of places that would surprise you. These are people who don’t fit the profile of a typical drug user.”

It is official that abuse of prescription medicine is on the rise. In September 2010 a study was released by the diagnostic testing company, Quest Diagnostic, in which they found more American job applicants and workers were testing positive for various kinds of opiates. Opiates are most commonly found in prescription medications. They also uncovered an increase of 18% in positive drug tests for opiates in the average U.S. working class from 2008 to 2009. There was also more than a 40% jump from 2005 to 2009.

There are two main reasons for this. The first one is that due to the randomness of this testing, it serves to prevent and gives students a reason not to give into peer pressure. The second reason is that drug testing allows them to identify who is abusing drugs, and give them the intervention and treatment they need before drug abuse becomes worse.

The main purpose of having school drug testing is not to punish and attack a student who tests positive, but to be able to prevent future drug abuse. It also helps other students who are using to become drug free. Students who do test positive are referred to drug treatment programs by school administrator and parents to begin the recovery process.

Teenagers in high school are the most susceptible to drug abuse. Their brain and body are still developing, which the use of drugs can lead to unfavorable effects on the brain, body, mood and health.

Short term effects (including a single use) affects a person judgment and decision making, usually resulting in accidents, risky behavior and poor performance in school or extracurricular activities. Long term effects (after repeated drug abuse) lead to more serious problems. Poor grades, mood changes, social and family problems are some examples of characteristics of long term effects. Ultimately the repeated drug use can lead to addiction. Studies show that the younger a teen abuses drugs, the more likely they will develop a substance abuse problem or addiction. On the other hand, studies show that if teens stay away from drugs while in high school, they are less likely to have a substance abuse problem later in their life.

The Governor stated that she couldn’t back up claims on her statement that half of the applicants who wanted to work at the Energy Department Savannah River Site failed drug tests and the other half were unable to pass a reading and writing test. It seems that this is far from the truth.

Haley was at the Savannah River Site while campaigning for governor.

“We were on the site. There were multiple people in there. And that comment that they made had a huge impact on me,” Haley said. “It is the reason you’re hearing me look into whether we can do drug testing. It’s the reason you hear me focus so much on job training,” Haley said. “Somebody can’t say that and it not stick you in the gut.”

And “now they’re all backing off saying it. And they know they said it.,” Haley said.

The spokesmen for Savannah River Site has stated that less than 1 percent of the employees seeking security badges to work at the site fail drug tests. Although this figure does not represent the workers seeking security clearances to enter and work on site due to outside vendors. The details for other skills have not been made available.

Quest Diagnostics, a national drug testing company produced an annual report of pre-employment and workplace drug testing. They found that in 2010, less than 2 percent tested positive for pre-employment. Also information from 4.5 million urine test showed 3.5 percent of employees tested positive for drugs after being hired. Since 2006 this rate has been below 4 percent.

Regardless of the current situation and statics Haley stated that she still believes in the need for drug tests tied to unemployment benefits and wants to renovate job skill programs. She blames the state Commerce Department for exaggerating the economic development numbers.

Demonstrators believe that these applicants are being singled out based on the stereotype that poor people are more likely to use illegal drugs. They argue that other government programs such as student loans, food stamps and business grants do not require drug testing.

Supporters of this new drug law along with Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott states that private businesses have been requiring such tests for years and government should be no different. The Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association has released a survey which found 57% of employers to require drug tests for all job applicants.

The ACLU filed this suit in the District Court in Orlando earlier in September. Members of the ACLU which includes Miami-based Florida Justice Institute has filed a motion to stop the drug testing until the court case is over, and they know the constitutionality of the drug testing laws.

Currently any new applicants for welfare assistance will have to pay around $25 to $45 for a urine drug tests for illegal drugs. If the test is found to show negative results, the applicant will be reimbursed for the drug test. In the event of a positive drug test the applicant will not receive benefits for a year and will not be reimbursed. Although under the law, they can choose to designate a person to receive the welfare benefits on behalf of their children.

The agency who monitors the program stated that only 2 percent of the recipients have tested positive for illegal drugs.

A meeting was held were 300 teachers, parents and students attended in support of this teachers strike. Among the crowd were also several local unions to represent the striking teachers, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employee, Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers Local 974, and the Labor Council of West Central Illinois. It was at this meeting that the teachers had offered to accept drug testing on a reasonable cause, but at the last minute the school board rejected the compromise.

In a press release from July the board wrote: “The testing program is not intended as a ‘witchhunt’ as the Board of Education believes that all District teachers would satisfactorily pass a drug and alcohol test.”

The teachers feel that this is an “unneeded” policy and that the money used, to conduct these drug tests, an average of $6,000, could be spent in a more useful and better way.

This drug testing issue started last year when it was removed from contract negotiations as an intractable issue. Then this year in May the school board brought it back into the contract again. The board did offer to make a compromise by also drug testing themselves, but they teachers didn’t trust them to actually go through with it.

Schools in the Illini Bluffs School District 327 should have already begun classes, but due to this strike classes are cancelled and no one is sure when they will start back up again. The school board is not giving any comment at this time.