Random Drug Testing

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:43:58 GMT

By Abby Repko

Random drug testing in public schools are not a going to stop drug use in schools. The students that are being randomly tested are students who are at school and in class. Schools already have the power to require students with suspected drug use to submit a drug test, so by targeting the student body as a whole, we are proclaiming everyone guilty until proven innocent. The fact that it’s random is making unreasonable searches on students that most likely show no reason sufficient for searching them. Not only is it not fair to the students who aren’t doing anything wrong, it is also expensive for tax payers to keep paying for all these tests. Most of the students that would need testing are most likely not involved in clubs or sports, so there should be a better way to identify if a child needs problems. Some people think that by randomly testing students in schools, we are not only helping to discourage people from starting, but we are finding and helping the people who already have a problem. We need to keep drugs out of schools, and by having a way of catching students if they do decide to do drugs will help discourage use. Having the students involved in extracurricular activities will help to set a good example as well. There are different kinds of drug tests that schools can buy, ranging anywhere from $10-$35 a test. There are oral fluid, hair, and sweat tests, but the most common is the 5-drug urine test, which tests for THC, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Amphetamine, and Opiates. It will not detect any club drugs, like GHB or Ecstasy; you need to buy a different test if you want to detect those as well. Drug tests will not detect alcohol, nicotine or OxyContin either. Also, there is no standard test that can detect inhalant abuse, which is a problem because these are serious and sometimes fatal, and they can get the materials at their school, such as correction fluid, felt-tipped markers, and air fresheners. Randomly drug testing students is almost encouraging them to try harder drugs so that they don’t get in trouble. Studies have shown that talking with students will help decrease substance use. By talking about the dangers of using drugs and alcohol, and by building trust and supportive relationships, we can help students to develop their own sets of beliefs and help them to make the right choices. Research has shown that developing healthy life skills, increasing protective factors, and lowering risk factors are the most effective ways of decreasing drug use, not by scaring people into the right choice. Students deserve to be in a healthy, friendly, and trusting atmosphere while they are at school. There are alternatives to random drug testing, and we should be putting our efforts into a test that will not only eliminate randomizing the takers, but help the student body as a whole. If we could talk to students in a more personal setting, not an assembly, students would be drug free and they would know where to go for help if they ever developed a problem.

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Random Drug Testing