Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2007
Source: San Pedro Valley News-Sun (AZ)
Copyright: 2007 Benson News Sun
Contact:  http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3639
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

IDENTIFYING DRUG USERS ONE PART OF TWO-PRONGED EQUATION

Benson, Sierra Vista and U.S. Drug Enforcement officers  this month
conducted a random search at the Benson  school district and came up
with two students in  possession of marijuana. While it is unfortunate
that  drugs were found, we think the random searches are a  good idea
and should be continued.

If there is good news here, it is that only two  instances of drugs
were found and it was marijuana,  rather than meth, cocaine or other
more dangerous  drugs. The sad fact is that drugs are an epidemic with
  young people now, and schools and parents must do  everything in
their power to protect kids, whether they  want that protection or
not.

Just the threat of random searches may encourage some  students to
leave the drugs at home and may give others  a socially acceptable
reason to say no in the face of  peer pressure. It's a lot easier for
one kid to tell  another that he's afraid of getting caught rather
than  he doesn't like drugs. While random searches are good,  they may
not be enough long-term. More and more schools  are going to random
drug testing. It won't take kids  long to know they shouldn't bring
the stuff on campus.  The goal of administrators and law enforcement
is to  prevent them from using, rather than from bringing it  to school.

The Willcox schools this year implemented random drug  testing on all
students involved in extra-curricular  activities. In Willcox's
definition, that includes  sports, clubs, going on field trips or even
riding a  school bus. During public comment before the policy was
instituted, there was little opposition. And  surprisingly, most of
the kids endorsed the policy.  That fact alone is a clear indicator of
the enormity of  the problem. The kids know better than anyone whether
  such a policy is needed.

Benson has considered such a policy, but there are  costs involved. So
for the time being, the schools will  stick with random searches. We
hope they will  investigate sources of funding for random testing in
the future. But whether or not that happens, the  schools and the
community need to deal with the other  end of the equation.

It is good to identify drug users. But addiction is an  illness. If we
identify, we need to offer treatment  options. But those are few and
far between in Cochise  County as a whole. Without treatment, the
entire  exercise becomes punitive. It's not so very different  from
testing people for diabetes and then telling those  who test positive
that there is no insulin.

So yes, we need to identify drug users by whatever  means practicable.
But then we need to help them  overcome the problem. It's a two-part
deterrent  equation.
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MAP posted-by: Derek