Pubdate: Sun, 09 Dec 2001 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2001 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n2024/a01.html?3030 Author: Robert Sharpe Note: The writer is program officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation. Note published in source. 'ATHLETICS DRUG TEST' IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE In response to "Schools salvage athletics drug test" (Dec. 4): Student involvement in extracurricular activities has been shown to reduce drug use. Forcing students [in Gaston County schools] to undergo degrading drug tests as a prerequisite will only discourage extracurricular activity. It may also compel users of relatively harmless marijuana to switch to harder drugs such as meth to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. If you think students don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running a search on the Internet can find out how to thwart a drug test. Drug-testing profiteers do not readily volunteer this information, for obvious reasons. The most commonly abused drug and the one most often associated with violent behavior is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more student lives every year than all illegal drugs combined. Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl