Pubdate: Wed, 01 Dec 2004 Source: Mitchell News-Journal (NC) Copyright: 2004 Mitchell News-Journal Contact: http://www.mitchellnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1777 Author: Robert Sharpe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) DRUG TESTING MAY HAVE UNINTENDED OUTCOMES Dear Editor, Student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation in extracurricular activities. Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. Synthetic drugs are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. A student who takes methamphetamine, ecstasy or heroin on Friday night will likely test clean on Monday morning. If you think students don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. 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 student 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, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy - ---