Drug testing is good business

It has been proven time and time again that the private sector outperforms government – the reasons for which continue to perplex public officials. The veto of the Lafourche Parish Council’s random drug screening ordinance last week may illustrate one reason why.

In the past, garbage was picked up by sanitation crews that worked for the government. That changed when companies like Waste Management and Sweedie demonstrated they could do it more efficiently and for less money. These companies currently have an active random drug testing program.

The U.S. Postal Service continues to lose market share and incur cost overruns while private companies like UPS and FedEx thrive – both do random drug testing.

What have private companies discovered that some government officials struggle to grasp? Random drug testing helps reduce accidents, insurance premiums and law suits.

Louisiana economist Loren Scott said ship builders in the area reported 50 failed drug tests out of every 100 job applicants, highlighting a serious drug problem in the work force.

In an interview earlier this year, South Louisiana Economic Council Executive Director Vic Lafont agreed that pre-screenings are where most employees are lost, but acknowledged that others fail the random and periodic drug tests imposed on them by their companies.

“If you pee in that bottle and it comes up, you’re done. You can’t even go on a boat,” said Lafont.

If drug testing makes sense for private companies, why shouldn’t it make sense for government?

That is the question some on the Lafourche Parish Council asked when they attempted to expand Lafourche Parish’s drug testing program to include council members and department heads.

Those who oppose all random drug testing claim the cost isn’t justified. They also claim the parish is required to pay rehabilitation costs for those employees who test positive.

Private companies struggle with the same issues and choose testing. In Terrebonne Parish, the district attorney’s office sponsors a drug rehabilitation program that could easily be emulated in Lafourche.

According to Lafourche Parish Councilman Lindel Toups, who authored the recently vetoed drug screening ordinance, Lafourche Parish currently has a random drug screening program in place but only for parish employees, not department heads.

His ordinance, which was approved by a 5-4 vote, attempted to change that.

Although the ordinance was wide in scope – exposing elected officials as well as department heads to random drug screening – it was not without merit. Drug use is a major problem for local companies, and it makes sense to believe that the same problem also exists within the public workforce and among department heads.

Let us hope Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph’s veto of Toup’s ordinance isn’t a vote of no confidence for random drug testing, but rather a disagreement of details.

Random drug screening makes sense for parish employees, why shouldn’t it make sense for department heads, too? We not only have to worry about those driving parish vehicles and machines, but the people telling them where to drive as well … it is just good business.