Parliamentarians in Chile must undergo tests to detect drug use

(CNN Spanish) --

78 legislators from the Chilean Congress were randomly selected to undergo a hair test to detect drug use.

The measure stems from the regulation on the control of drug use, which aims to have a Parliament "free of all dependency on substances that affect or weaken work," according to the text approved in January this year.

The elected deputies will have between August 22 and 30 to take the test.

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"The application of the exam will be every six months. The idea is that all parliamentarians have to go through the control twice in the four years of their legislative period," informed the Chamber of Deputies and Deputies.

According to the regulations, if any of the 155 officials tests positive for drug use or refuses to take the test, they will be sanctioned by the Chamber's ethics and transparency commission.

Chili