MICH. TO BEGIN WELFARE DRUG TESTING

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Welfare applicants in three areas of Michigan will
be required to take drug tests before receiving benefits under a new state
law that takes effect this fall.

The pilot program to begin Oct. 1 is believed to be the first in the nation
to require drug tests of all applicants at specified welfare offices, said
Bill Kordenbrock, an official with the state Family Independence Agency,
which administers welfare benefits.

The testing is needed to make sure drug use doesn't provide a stumbling
block to moving off welfare, said Gov. John Engler, who signed the bill
into law Wednesday.

``For some ... substance abuse remains a barrier to independence,'' he
said. ``This program will help us identify these individuals and provide
them with the incentive to change their lives.''

Under the plan, Michigan will use Medicaid funds to provide treatment for
those who screen positive for drugs. Anyone refusing treatment will face at
least a partial loss of welfare benefits, and applicants who refuse to take
the test will have their benefits denied.

Officials have not determined which areas of the state will take part.

Civil liberties groups and welfare advocates have said across-the-board
drug testing of anyone who applies for welfare unfairly discriminates
against the poor.

``If Governor Engler was truly concerned about making sure welfare
applicants could get jobs, he would also be looking at factors such as
alcohol abuse, and literacy and homelessness,'' said Wendy Wagenheim of the
American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan. ``This is just one, and it's
strictly punitive.''

The new law requires drug tests to be given to welfare applicants statewide
beginning April 1, 2003.