The Nation - News from Jan. 6, 1989

Washington Mayor Marion Barry, under federal investigation in connection with a drug case, dismissed suggestions that he take a drug test, contending he has passed such tests before. Barry, who has repeatedly denied using drugs, said he has taken drug tests twice a year during routine physical examinations. “I’ve taken a drug test for five years in a row,” Barry told reporters. “I’ve released them twice a year.” That comment caught Barry’s press secretary, John White, by surprise. “I’ve been here 18 months, and I’ve never handled the release (of a test),” White said. “I don’t know anything about that.” Efforts to reach Barry’s physician, Dr. Vincent J. Roux, were not immediately successful.