SOCIETY, NOT SCHOOLS, NEEDS TO TACKLE STUDENT DRUG USE

A recent automobile accident involving four Scottsdale teenagers highlighted a
problem - drug use by high school athletes - and raises the question: Should
school districts use random drug tests to restrict a student's participation in
school-sponsored activities?

Whether high school students should be screened for drug use has been the
subject of debate since the U.S. Supreme Court approved an Oregon school
district's drug testing policy for student athletes in 1995.

The school district argued that random testing of athletes was necessary to
curtail drug use at the school because athletes were the "leaders of the (high
school) drug culture."

After drug resistance programs and random locker searches failed to solve the
problem, the district implemented a drug testing policy the Supreme Court said
fulfilled "the government's responsibilities, under a public school system, as
guardian and tutor of children entrusted to its care."

In 2002, the court broadened the scope of its decision by approving the use of
random drug testing for students involved in any school-sponsored activity.

The court found that an Oklahoma school district's policy was "a reasonable
means of furthering the school district's important interest in preventing and
deterring drug use among its schoolchildren."

According to a University of Michigan study reported in the Journal of Student
Health, less than 20 percent of American high schools currently have a drug
testing policy. Most districts test students only "for cause" based on evidence
or suspicion of drug use. Five percent of these high schools randomly test
athletes. Less than 2 percent test all students who participate in
school-sponsored activities.

One Alabama school district recently expanded its drug testing policy to
include all students who request permission to park a car at school.

Opponents of school drug testing policies argue that at-risk students who need
the support provided by clubs and athletics may avoid these activities, making
it more difficult for school officials to identify and address their social
problems. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, which opposes random
screening, suspicionless testing also humiliates students and destroys their
trust in teachers and coaches.

The most compelling argument against screening for drug use by student athletes
is evidence that testing policies do not deter drug use. Opponents point to a
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study showing that students who
participate in school-sponsored activities are less likely to even try drugs.

University of Michigan researchers reviewed information provided by 891 schools
from 1998 through 2002 and found virtually identical rates of drug use in
schools with and without drug testing policies. The data from schools that
randomly test athletes showed no significant decline in drug use.

The biggest obstacle to widespread drug testing is cost. The average random
testing program costs $30,000 per year.

University of Michigan researcher Lloyd Johnson said, "Schools are very pressed
for funds, and I would say that the results of our investigation raise a
serious question of whether drug testing is a wise investment of their scarce
resources."

Whether schools educate students on the dangers of using drugs or impose
consequences for drug use, some students will still use drugs. Adopting school
policies won't change the outcome. Society also must find a way to change
students' values, attitudes and perceptions about drug use.