Bush, Reagan Aides Given Drug Tests

Vice President George Bush and dozens of presidential aides paraded through the White House medical unit today, providing urine samples that will be tested for drugs as part of a new campaign by President Reagan.

The aides followed the lead set by Reagan, who did his part Saturday before a urological examination at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The tests underscored White House determination to seize on an issue championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan, one that is becoming an object of increasing public concern.

The “voluntary” White House testing program was announced last week and thrust Reagan into political competition with Democrats in Congress to capture the drug issue as his own in advance of the November elections.

The tests were ridiculed by House Democratic leader Jim Wright, who suggested that Reagan should focus on the actual problem rather than “the gimmicks.” He said several House committees will report Tuesday on a blueprint for action.

‘Wouldn’t Solve Problem’

“If all the members of Congress went down and took drug tests, it would suit me fine,” Wright said, “but it wouldn’t solve the problem.”

In addition to Reagan and Bush, 78 White House aides were advised to take the voluntary tests. When asked what will happen to those who decline, White House spokesman Larry Speakes said, “I don’t know that any issue will be made of it.”

Last week, however, another White House spokesman, Albert Brashear, said he was “sure it would be noted” by superiors if any of the 78 refused to participate.

“Our objective is to have a drug-free workplace,” Speakes told reporters. “And to have that, we’d like those who have a problem to get squared away.”

Anyone whose initial test indicates recent drug use will be retested, he said, and in the event of a second positive finding for narcotics, the individual will be counseled. Speaks also said “there will be an observer present” during the tests to ensure no one switches their samples.

‘Lot of Peer Pressure’

“We believe the American people under voluntary testing will certainly want to, in many cases, step forward,” he said. “And those who don’t and are obviously on drugs would certainly find a lot of peer pressure.”

The exercise, however, seemed largely symbolic. Speakes said there were no plans for follow-up tests within the White House or for the checks to be conducted on a periodic basis to detect or deter future drug use.

Throughout the morning, White House staff members made their way to and from the office of White House physician T. Burton Smith, where the samples were collected and labeled for shipment to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Norfolk, Va., for laboratory analysis.

The tests, designed to detect the presence of such drugs as cocaine, marijuana, PCP, amphetamines, barbiturates and heroin, will be “conducted by a system which is accurate, confidential and highly reliable,” Speakes said, with results available in about 10 days.

However, the White House will not disclose any test results, he emphasized.