DRUG-TESTING
As long as people are doing whatever they are doing on their own time in their
private life I don’t see how industry can invade their privacy and fire them from their
job. If they are tanked on the job, fine, out the door. Along with the separation of
Church and State there should also be separation of public life and private life.
This is true hypocracy, only people who have never done drugs think drugs are bad.
its those who cant handle them that make drug users look bad.
He's an adult, he isn't hurting any one, he isn't offering children drugs, I'm unable to
find any information that he was driving. So who cares? If you find one that gets
caught dealing to kids or smoking a spliff in the boy's restroom then fire him,
otherwise just leave the guy alone.
By requiring tobacco testing, and removing students from teams and clubs who
consistently test positive, the schools would generate three avenues to reduce smoke
exposure for nonsmokers. First, the school would reduce the chances of exposure to
second hand smoke between club and team members. Second, nonsmoking
students would not face peer pressure to start smoking while participating in
extracurricular activities or student athletics. Finally, the school would also provide a
disincentive for nonsmokers to become smokers.
Q. Why conduct random drug tests?
A. Random Student Drug Testing is foremost a prevention program. It creates a
culture of disapproval toward drugs in the communities where it is employed. It
achieves several public health goals: 1) it deters adolescents from initiating drug use;
2) it gives adolescents a reason to resist peer pressure to use drugs; 3) it identifies
adolescents who have started using drugs so that parents and counselors can
intervene early; and, 4) it helps identify adolescents who have developed a drug
dependency, so they can be referred to treatment providers.
Q. What are the benefits of drug testing?
A. Drug use can turn to abuse and then to addiction, trapping users in a vicious cycle
that ruins lives and destroys families. Drug testing has been shown to be an effective
tool in preventing student drug use. The expectation that they may be randomly
tested is enough to make some students stop using drugs—or never start in the first
place. Drug testing is also an excellent tool for getting students who won't or can't
stop the help they need to stop. Students who use drugs are statistically more likely
to drop out of school, bring guns and knives to school, and be involved in physical
attacks, property destruction, stealing, and cutting classes (SAMHSA, 2004). Drug
abuse not only interferes with a student's ability to learn, it also disrupts the orderly
environment necessary for all students to succeed. Obviously, reducing the likelihood
of these disruptive behaviors benefits everyone involved in the educational
institution.
Q. Has drug testing worked in other sectors of society?
A. Many of our Nation's businesses and institutions have implemented successful n
drug testing programs, including the Federal government. Since the U.S. Military
began drug testing in the early 1980s, drug use among servicemen and
servicewomen has plunged from 27 percent to less than 3 percent. When the
Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented a mandatory drug-free workplace
initiative in the interest of public safety, drug use in the transportation industry also
declined. The DOT model has been implemented in many non-regulated industries as
well, each of which also saw a decrease in drug use. Because of this, many Fortune
500 companies employ drug testing programs because they know it makes their
workplaces safer and more productive. Every American who steps on an airplane or
sends their kids out to the school bus in the morning rests easier knowing that pilots
and bus drivers are drug tested. Drug testing saves lives. We can no longer withhold
the proven benefits of drug testing from the members of society that are most
vulnerable to drugs' destructive influence.
Q. Does the Federal government mandate student drug testing?
A. No. The administration recognizes drug testing as one tool that local schools can
decide to use as a component of a broad drug prevention effort. Each school or
school district that wants to start a program needs to involve the entire community in
determining whether student drug testing is right for their specific situation.
Q. How should a school determine it has a need for student drug testing?
A. Communities first need to explore their adolescent drug problems. This becomes
the basis of developing a consensus for student drug testing. Such a need can be
generated by surveys of student drug-use, reports by teachers other school staff,
coaches, parents and community members, as well as the discovery of drug
paraphernalia and drug residues at school.
Q. If a school wants to start a drug testing program, how can the program be funded?
A. Many schools already receive federal money from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Program run through the Department of Education. Student drug testing programs
have been congressionally authorized as an acceptable use of Safe and Drug-Free
Schools money. Some schools have been successful at receiving both financial and
technical support from local charitable foundations, law enforcement, or health
professionals. For example, high schools in Calabasas, California have their drug tests
performed free of charge by the local hospital. T he cost of a drug test is minimal
compared with the cost of athletic equipment purchased to keep a student safe from
physical injury, and much less than the cost of drug-induced accidents or other
consequences.
Q. How can schools determine if there is a need for a drug testing program?
A. Communities first need to explore their drug problems. This becomes the basis of
developing a consensus for student drug testing. Schools must first determine
whether there is a need for testing. Such a need can be determined from student
drug-use surveys, reports by teachers and other school staff about student drug use,
reports about drug use from parents and others in the community, and from
discoveries of drug paraphernalia, drugs, or residues at school.
Q. Who should be involved in the decision-making process of implementing a student
drug testing program?
A. The decision of whether to implement a drug-testing program should involve
parents, schools, and the local community. It should not be the decision of one
individual, or even limited to a school board. Schools considering testing will want
public support from community members who are interested in reducing student
drug use. Early in their deliberations, schools should also consult with an attorney
familiar with laws regarding student drug testing. By making the effort to include
everyone in the process, a school can greatly increase the likelihood of adopting a
successful testing program.
Q. Is student drug testing a stand-alone solution, or do schools need other programs
to prevent and reduce drug use?
A. Drug testing should never be undertaken as a stand-alone response to the drug
problem. Rather, it should be a component of broader prevention, intervention and
treatment programs, with the common goal of reducing students' use of illegal drugs.
Q. If a student tests positive for drugs, should that student face disciplinary
consequences?
A. The primary purpose of drug testing is not to punish students who use drugs but to
prevent drug dependence and to help drug-dependent students become drug-free.
The results of a positive drug test should be used to intervene with students who are
not yet dependent, through counseling and follow-up testing. For students that are
diagnosed with addiction, parents and a school administrator can refer them to
effective drug treatment programs, to begin the recovery process.
Q. When a student tests positive, are schools responsible for paying for drug
treatment?
A. No. The drug test can be viewed in the same way as school-based screening for
visual impairment or for scoliosis. However, well-crafted drug testing programs will
incorporate qualified health and drug treatment professionals to aid in assessing
students who test positive. Some parents may be unable to accept their child's use,
or not know how to help their child. It is important that schools have reference guides
and referrals available to help educate parents on the problem and help them choose
how to intervene or how to get their child needed professional treatment.
Q. Is drug testing a violation of an adolescent's privacy rights?
A. This objection usually stems from a misunderstanding of the purpose of student
drug testing. Foremost, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that student drug testing
can be done, but must be done confidentially. Schools have a responsibility to respect
students' privacy, so it is vital that only the people who need to know the test results
see those— parents and a school administrator, for example. The results should not
be shared with anyone else, not even teachers. The purpose is not to expose and
punish children for drug use, but to deter use, intervene early with those who have
just begun to use, and to provide professional help to those who have become
dependent. An appropriate comparison is screening for other public health problems.
Most parents and students are not concerned about privacy rights when schools
require tests for infectious diseases. When concerned citizens realize drug
dependence is a disease of the brain that spreads through non-addictive users, their
privacy objections usually dissipate.
Q. What testing methods are available?
A. There are several testing methods available including urine, hair, oral fluids, and
sweat (patch). These methods vary in cost, reliability, drugs detected, and detection
period. Schools should determine their needs and choose the method that best suits
their requirements, as long as the testing kits are from a reliable source.
Magus: A master magician; one who has truly mastered the Art.
