The Nation - News from March 8, 1989

The federal government’s random drug-testing program has caught 203 employees using illegal drugs--including 60 air-traffic controllers and 42 employees in the nuclear- and chemical-weapons-security program, the Washington Post r11eported. Officials say none of those found through urinalysis to have used drugs could have single-handedly caused a nuclear or chemical accident. In addition to the air-traffic controllers and nuclear- and chemical-weapons-program employees, another 101 federal workers have tested positive while performing aviation safety-related tasks, enforcing drug laws and doing other jobs the government classifies as sensitive. Roughly 30,307 employees have been tested in the random, spot-checking, with 203 testing positive--a rate of 0.7%.