VAIL MADE SMART MOVE BY DROPPING BOGUS DRUG TESTING

Dear Summit Free Press:

Regarding the story "Vail Resorts drops drug testing" (Free Press, July).
There is no evidence whatsoever that drug testing benefits businesses or
the public in any way.

Studies by the National Science Foundation and the American Medical
Association show that drug testing has been ineffective in reducing drug
use and has no noticeable impact on reducing either absenteeism or
improving productivity.

The National Academy of Sciences found that illegal drugs contribute little
to workplace accidents and that off-duty drug use has about the same small
effect on worker accidents as off-duty drinking. The reason drugs cause
very little trouble in the workplace is simple. Drug users rarely use drugs
on the job. People use drugs away from work in ways that do not affect job
safety or performance.

Drug testing reduces a company's productivity according to Eric Shepard,
co-author of the Le Moyne study of drug testing in Silicon Valley: "We
found that productivity was 16 percent lower in companies with
pre-employment testing than those that didn't test, and it was 29 percent
(lower) in companies with both pre-employment and random testing."

Drug testing was promoted by drug crusaders like Robert L. Dupont (former
drug czar), Carlton Turner (former drug czar) and Peter Bensinger (former
head of NIDA). After persuading Congress and the public that drug tests
were the solution to our drug problems these profiteers joined together in
forming Bensinger, Dupont & Associates, the world's largest drug testing
company to cash in on the drug-testing laws they wrote. Bensinger, Dupont &
Associates contracted as advisors to 250 of the nation's largest
corporations to corner the drug testing market and reap a fortune for their
useless drug tests.

Drug testing companies are the only beneficiaries of workplace drug testing.

Breckenridge Ski Resort made a smart business decision to stop wasting
$150,000 per year on drug testing.

Redford Givens

San Francisco