DRUG TESTING WON'T KEEP STUDENT ATHLETES OFF DRUGS

Friday, July 28, 2000 The Dublin City School District might have wanted to
educate itself on the limitations of drug testing before imposing the
unconstitutional measure on student athletes.

Drug-testing profiteers are quick to list the many drugs tested for but are
loath to reveal the efficacy of urine tests. Urinalysis is actually
counterproductive for keeping students off drugs, at least in terms of the
relative dangers of different drugs. Only one drug stays in the human body
long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. That drug is marijuana, and the
reason its metabolites linger beyond a few days is because they are
fat-soluble. Harder drugs, such as heroin and Ecstasy, are water-soluble
and exit the human body within 48 hours; sooner if the user chooses to
flush his or her system with water.

If one thinks students don't know this, think again.

Anyone capable of searching the Internet can find out how to thwart a drug
test. Why is this relevant?

Because the growing use of heroin in America is, in part, a result of drug
testing.

A student who takes a potentially deadly drug such as heroin on Friday
night will test clean on Monday morning.

The same applies to Ecstasy or crack.

Ironically, the least dangerous recreational drug is the only one whose use
is discouraged by testing. Finally, 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 other drugs combined.