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Drug Testing in Schools

Today's younger generation is often too accepting of drugs as a part of its life, and adults are too unwilling to implement existing anti-drug laws. With the massive drug problem that exists in our schools today, new legislation is necessary to discourage substance abuse. Cities in Texas, New York, California, and Tennessee have already implemented mandatory drug testing in some of their public schools. Such a program is needed on a national scale.

Schools have been called "the workplace of young Americans." Prin­cipals and teachers have been called a boy or girl's "first employer." So it is probably not surprising that some people are asking for drug testing programs in schools. They are expressing concerns not only about the problem of drug abuse in general but also about its spread among younger citizens in particular.

An indication of this concern is the suggestion made by President Bill Clinton in October 1996 that all teenagers applying for a driver's license should be drug tested. Clinton said the government should use the privilege of a driver's license to demand respon­sible behavior by young people when it comes to drugs, too. "Our message," he went on to say, "should be simple: No drugs or no driver's license.

In his article, "Teenagers Need Drug Testing," from which the quotation at the beginning of this chapter is taken, Brian Noal Mittman lists six rea­sons that young people should be tested for drugs in schools:

1. Drug testing might deter younger or more immature students from using drugs.

2. Students might avoid using drugs to avoid the   embarrassment of being caught.

3. Students might be concerned about their drug  use being reported to their parents.

4. Parents who learn about their children's drug abuse would be likely to seek help for this problem.

5. Students who are already drug addicted might seek professional help for their problems if faced with detection on a drug test.

6. Drug testing would detect heavy drug use in a school, increasing the likelihood that the school administration would actively address the problem.

In many schools and colleges, the issue of drug testing most often focuses on athletics. Students who participate in football, basketball, baseball, or other sports are often expected to pass urinalysis tests to make certain that they are not using illegal drugs or steroids.

More Sources:  

Programs of Drug Testing in Schools

Future of Drug Testing in Schools