Drug testing is a legal option for schools to try to reduce the widespread problem with substance abuse. However, no one knows whether it is an effective way to prevent drug and alcohol use. As a substance abuse prevention researcher, physician and father of five, I know how important drug and alcohol prevention is. I have read some of the articles and feedback from parents regarding this issue, published in the Log Cabin Democrat, and intimately understand the controversy However, no matter what you believe about drug testing, it is not yet proven to reduce substance use among teens, because it has never been tested in a scientific manner. [continues 276 words]
Drug Testing Happens. In a nutshell, that is the status quo, despite the wishes of The Oregonian ("Stop drug research on Oregon kids," July 8). The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of drug testing of high school athletes in an Oregon case in 1995 and in June expanded that ruling to include high school students participating in any extracurricular (voluntary) activities. Although legal, no one knows whether drug testing reduces drug use. Does testing help students resist drugs or is it a big waste of money? That is the basis of the Saturn study led by myself and colleagues from Oregon Health & Science University. [continues 413 words]
A critical editorial ("The girl is not a guinea pig," April 12) and reporting on Oakridge High School's athletic drug-testing policy and Oregon Health Sciences University's study of that policy omitted important information. We, with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are studying the effect of random athlete drug testing, among other reasons, because athletes use drugs and alcohol at high levels, placing them at risk for sport participation and because no prior study has thoroughly examined whether drug testing reduces drug use. [continues 423 words]
