Student Drug Testing Is Part of the Solution

Student drug testing, as implemented today, applies only to students who voluntarily choose to participate in athletic and extracurricular activities or in some schools seek a permit to park vehicles on school grounds.

Drug use affects cognitive abilities and attention span, making it difficult for the user to learn properly in school.

For example, a recent study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that repeated, heavy marijuana use during the adolescent years leads to weakened performance on thinking tasks as well as slower psychomotor speed and a lowering of complex attention skills, memory and planning ability even after a month of cessation of marijuana use.

The intent of student drug testing is not to punish students but to help students succeed scholastically. The goals are to deter drug use for all, and for drug users, to be given a chance before addiction becomes intractable. The results are not turned over to law enforcement; rather, they are discussed with the parents of the child in question so, as a family, they can determine which type of drug treatment is suitable for their child.

In his 2004 State of the Union Address, President Bush not only endorsed student drug testing but also asked for $23 million in additional government funds to implement such programs nationwide because it is such an effective tool for identifying and preventing drug problems. Prior to this initiative, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the random drug testing of athletes and then, in 2002, extended its ruling to students involved in extra-curricular activities and those who drive and park on campus.

Student athletes and students in extracurricular activities take leadership roles in the school community and, as role models, should be drug free – and student drug testing helps ensure this. More importantly, it gives students in extracurricular activities an “out” or an argument that they can use when pressured to take drugs (e.g., “If I take drugs, they will know because I have to take a drug test, and I’ll be kicked off the team”). Today, drug testing is a standard procedure when applying for a job. Certainly, athletes who want to compete at the collegiate or Olympic level should get used to the idea of drug testing.

Some people criticize drug testing on grounds it can be counterproductive and inaccurate. The drug testing procedures in place today, when properly followed, eliminate the possibility of a false positive. First, there is a screening that is confirmed by a more sensitive test if the preliminary test is positive. If schools follow drug testing procedures recommended by the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, students will provide a urine sample in a private restroom area. The sample will be handled under the chain of custody guidelines, a set of procedures to account for the integrity of each urine sample by tracking its handling and storage from collection to disposition. If the screening test is positive, confirmation is sought with a more sensitive test. If the confirmation test is positive, a physician who is trained in drug testing then reviews it and contacts the student to see if there is a legitimate medical reason for the positive test. Drug test results are confidential, and do not follow the student once he or she leaves high school (as per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

Another misconception about student drug testing is that it is expensive and difficult to implement. A drug test only costs between $10 and $30 per student, a cost that is nominal compared to its true worth. Any school that receives federal education funding is permitted to use these funds for drug testing; the No Child Left Behind Act specifically authorizes the expenditure of federal education funds for student drug testing.

The unfortunate part of student drug testing is that we cannot test those who do not participate in extracurricular activities or park on school property. These students encounter the same peer pressure that the extracurricular students face, but do not have the same drug testing defense, making it potentially more difficult to say no to drugs. Although schools that test athletes and students in other extracurricular activities experience an overall decline in drug use, they must not forget about those students who do not benefit from drug testing and at least provide them with other drug prevention and education alternatives. Random student drug testing should not be a stand-alone program. All students should receive prevention education – the more often, the better.