WASH YOUR HANDS AND MAKE ME A CHEESE SANDWICH:

Court OKs drug tests for people on welfare: Michigan can deny benefits to those who fail (KIM NORTH SHINE, October 19, 2002, Detroit Free Press)

The state can rightfully deny benefits to welfare recipients who test positive for illegal drugs, according to a federal court decision released Friday.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said Michigan's use of mandatory testing to determine eligibility for public aid is neither an invasion of privacy nor an infringement on constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The random testing is a justified technique for protecting children, the public and tax dollars from abuse, the court said. [...]

The ACLU of Michigan promised to appeal the decision and decried it as a threat to personal freedom. [...]

"Our concern is this can really open up the door to uncontrolled government surveillance in every aspect of our lives," the ACLU's Kary Moss said. "What about students who take out student loans or taxpayers who take deductions?"

This seems a fairly easy call: if you are that concerned about your privacy just forego the test and the benefits.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 19, 2002 4:16 PM