ANHEUSER-BUSCH'S HAIR TEST

Big Brother has arrived wielding hair clippers and a can of beer! The
May 2 article describing Anheuser-Busch's plan to force each employee
to submit a lock of hair to determine drug use over the previous 90
days left me at first stunned, then infuriated.

Any drug testing whatsoever seems incredibly invasive and a clear
violation of each American's Fourth Amendment rights. That amendment
guarantees that "the right to be secure in their persons against
unreasonable searches shall not be violated without probable cause."
Can the framers of the Constitution have been any more clear?

A-B's plan certainly smacks of "guilty until proven innocent." They
justify this by stating the need "to maintain a safe, productive and
drug-free work place." Let's get real! If the janitor smoked a
marijuana cigarette in the privacy of his own home three months ago, I
don't think the brewery will be brought to its knees, especially in a
business climate where American companies are posting record profits.

Safety and productivity are definitely important issues, and anyone
caught intoxicated on the job needs to be dealt with accordingly.
A-B's stated intention, however, "to maintain a drug-free workplace"
sounds oxymoronic coming from a maker of alcoholic beverages,
especially when those same intoxicating beverages are freely consumed
in its own plant by its own employees on company time.

Ken Boschert,
St. Charles