The Nation - News from Sept. 22, 1988

A little noticed but sweeping anti-drug provision in legislation awaiting President Reagan’s signature threatens to prevent federal agencies from paying bills for goods and services ranging from utilities to weapons systems, the Baltimore Sun reported. The provision, one of the most stringent of its kind ever passed by Congress, was quietly attached to an appropriations bill. It bars federal agencies, including the Defense Department, from paying private contractors unless the companies have written policies by Oct. 1 that bar drugs in the workplace. A veto appeared unlikely, given the high visibility of the drug issue in the presidential campaign.