FAILED DRUG TEST, LOST SAFETY NET

Fail a drug test or refuse to take one and you can lose your
unemployment benefits.

It's now the law in Wisconsin.

Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), co-chair of the Joint Finance
Committee, originally wanted a failed drug test to result in a
yearlong ban, but the feds said that went too far. The compromise is
a four-week ban.

I know some of you are thinking, " Why should anyone receive an
unemployment check for getting high?"

Good point. But I don't think it's that cut and dried. The law leaves
too many unanswered questions. More on that later.

But while you let that marinate, consider the second provision of the
law that affects people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

In an effort to save between $41 million to $56 million a year,
anyone who loses a job will not get an unemployment check for the
first week of unemployment.

Vos said workers typically receive their last paycheck shortly after
they are laid off, so a week lag time in jobless benefits shouldn't
make a difference.

It may not make a difference if you have a working spouse or if
you're making $15 an hour, but if you're a single mom, working
minimum wage while going to school, it could be the difference in
having enough food or shelter.

If you've never been laid off, this may be hard for you to
understand. So let me educate you: Unemployment is not a government handout.

The recession has taken a big toll on unemployment, and states such
as Wisconsin have been forced to borrow money to pay for extended
unemployment for all the people out of work.

Now, politicians are coming up with creative ways to save money -
such as suspending unemployment to people who fail a drug test.

Vos told me that the law is not intended to target any group of people.

While that may not be Vos' intent, it will no doubt penalize the
people who least can afford the hit.

All you have to do is look at the impact on African-American men in
Milwaukee. The state is one of the nation's leaders in the number of
African-American men incarcerated, on probation or parole.

Milwaukee's black male unemployment rate is 34%, or more than double
the national average of 16% for black males.

But you don't have to take my word for it. I talked to a 43-year-old
Milwaukee man who was fired two months ago due to a failed drug test.

He did not want to give me his name, but he knows he made a mistake.
He also says that he should be entitled to the money that he earned
in unemployment benefits while working.

"I had a little problem, and we parted ways, but I should be entitled
to what's mine. I earned it," he said.

He is currently working with the Milwaukee Urban League to overcome
his barriers to employment.

The 19-member Global Commission on Drug Policy last month declared
what we already knew - that the war on drugs was lost. The commission
will now focus on programs that promote economic and social
development. It should focus on building more drug and alcohol
treatment centers in the areas most affected instead of the revolving
door of locking up minority men for minor drug offenses.

I'm not making excuses for people who use illegal drugs, but if we
have a law that will take away someone's unemployment benefits for
failing a drug test or a refusal to take one, then the lack of drug
treatment facilities needs to be addressed.

When I asked Vos if the next target would be people who receive
public housing entitlements, he said it's a "possibility down the road."

Chicago already has done it. Renters in public housing in the Windy
City are already required to undergo mandatory drug testing to keep
their residences. If they fail, they're evicted.

What about the children?

It's a good question, but no one seems to have an answer.

I guess when a drug war is lost, the kids become expendable.

James E. Causey is a Journal Sentinel editorial writer and columnist.