HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SHOULD BE DRUG TESTED, SUMMIT TOLD

A national drug summit in Adelaide has been told of a radical proposal
to address addiction before it takes hold in teenagers.

Perth doctor George O'Neil suggests that high schools should test
students for marijuana use as part of an annual health check and if
they fail, they would be forced to undergo monthly tests.

Dr O'Neil says several mining companies use a similar model on their
employees.

"The only punishment a school could ever give is to change from annual
monitoring to monthly monitoring on the kids that were starting to be
affected," Dr O'Neil said.

"But if you're being monitored once a month and you have to discuss
this with your mum once a month, that's the best way to deal with the
problem in the community."

Meanwhile, a former magistrate has told the summit that patients with
drug-induced psychosis are clogging the mental health system.

New figures from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Council show
people who use methamphetamine are 11 times more likely to suffer a
psychotic episode than those who do not use the drug.

Former New South Wales magistrate Craig Thompson says authorities
should be able to order drug-affected patients into rehabilitation to
make them kick the habit.

"Mental hospitals are not rehabilitation centres," Mr Thompson
said.

"It's now accepted that cannabis is a very addictive drug and unless
it's resolved, then you can give them their anti-psychotic medication
and they're straight back on the cannabis and then back in again.

"So I see that some form of treatment program that they can channel
into is very necessary."