An Opposition motion mandating random drug and alcohol abuse testing for House of Assembly members was passed on Friday night.

United Bermuda Party Leader Pamela Gordon said it was time parliamentarians set an example.

She said: "We want to rid the Country of this scourge.

"We hear people in the community who suggest members in high places are using, distributing or importing drugs.

"I believe their is no validity to this whatsoever.'' But she said unless MPs took action they would be seen to be above the law.

MPs will be given two tests a year -- Ms Gordon said the 24-hours notice given would be insufficient to get rid of any drugs in the body.

And she said strict supervision would stop any cheating and members would be given the results instantly to stop any fears they might have of fowl play which would falsely incriminate them.

She said: "It's a bit of an inconvenience but if we expect people in the workplace to do that I don't think we can be above that.'' And for the same reasons she said making the testing voluntary rather than mandatory would defeat the purpose of the exercise.

"People who drive a bus aren't given an option of whether it's voluntary or mandatory.'' She said Premier Jennifer Smith had raised concerns about tampering with samples but she noted Ms. Smith had said "we are prepared to hold hands with the Opposition on this matter.'' An amendment proposed by the Progressive Labour Party sought to include checks for alcohol abuse and testing "of representative members of the community, leaders and the citizenry''.

"We feel that if we really are to send a message to the community,'' said Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott , "we need to get them involved and make them stakeholders in this.'' But the Opposition, while in agreement over testing for alchol, contended that including non-MPs in the scheme was something that needed to be carefully considered.

The amendment was changed by the Opposition to state that a committee would be formed to decide who, besides MPs, should be subject to testing.

MPs on both sides of the House could not refrain from laughing as Government backbencher Delaey Robinson spoke for more than an hour outlining anti-drug measures of Government, wondering what relevance his words had to the proposal tabled by Ms Gordon.

Mr. Robinson, who cited several statistics and essays on drug use, eventually said such testing would be another meaningless gesture in the futile drugs war.

"The methodology we are employing is not adequate,'' he said.

Referring to Ms Gordon's desire to "rid the Country of the drug problem'', Mr. Robinson said: "These are typical statements of people who wage this drugs war.

"I'm characterising this motion as a plank in the arsenal of the drugs war. I think it's rather sad, actually. This measure is not going to relieve people's suffering due to drugs one iota.'' Mr. Robinson said that approximately one in ten Bermudians use or had used marijuana, a drug that is commonly vied as a stepping stone to other, harder drugs.

But, he said, there was nothing to prove the assertion.

"If people graduated from softer drug to harder drug, we would expect to see a huge number of hard drugs users in this country, which simply isn't the case.'' "This measure will do nothing to reduce the suffering that attends drug use in Bermuda... and I don't see how I can support it.'' Not above the law: Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon