Pubdate: Wed, 03 Apr 2002
Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)
Copyright: 2002 The Sun-Times Co.
Contact:  http://www.suntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81
Author: Robert Sharpe, Stephen Young
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n604/a11.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

WASTE OF TIME

Cindy Richards' March 27 column was right on target. The U.S. Supreme Court 
will review an Oklahoma school district's drug-testing policy on 
constitutional grounds, but there are compelling health reasons to oppose 
the invasive policy. Student involvement in extracurricular activities has 
been shown to reduce drug use. Forcing students to undergo degrading drug 
tests as a prerequisite will only discourage such activities.

Drug-testing may also compel smokers of relatively harmless marijuana to 
switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived 
high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the body long enough to make 
urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and 
can linger for weeks. Synthetic hard drugs are water-soluble and exit the 
body quickly. A student who takes Ecstasy, OxyContin, or meth on Friday 
night will likely test clean on Monday morning. If you think students don't 
know this, think again.

The most commonly abused drug and the one most closely associated with 
violent behavior is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug 
is alcohol, and it takes far more lives every year than all illegal drugs 
combined. Instead of wasting money on counterproductive drug tests, schools 
should invest in reality-based drug education.

Robert Sharpe, program officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.

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DON'T PRE-JUDGE KIDS

I was glad to see "Just say no to drug tests" by Cindy Richards [column, 
March 27]. I hope more people begin to realize that drug-testing students 
serves little purpose other than to discourage troubled kids from joining 
extracurricular activities.

Martin Luther King Jr. said he dreamed of a place where children would be 
judged by the content of their character. More and more, we judge young 
people by the content of their urine. What would King think about that?

Stephen Young, Roselle
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