A controversial question, random student drug testing in high school has been a fevered debate but the latest research is proving that consistent drug testing is an effective deterrent for teen drug abuse. Thousands of school districts are reporting record drops in student drug use and beginning athletic and random student drug testing programs. The reason for the sharp decline in student use and success in prevention is evident; most students will choose to not get high and save themselves over peer pressure if they absolutely are certain that there is a chance they will be receiving a drug test. The utilization of urine screening in schools began about a decade ago in athletic departments nationwide. Now, many schools have chosen to expand beyond sport programs to screen high-risk students and those who show reasonable cause. With each successful school, the number of new districts that adapt drug testing programs increase.
In 2007 the drug czar under the Bush administrations, John Walters, said that “testing is the single most important step schools can take, and it’s becoming increasingly hard to dismiss administrators who say that testing works for them and can be done fairly cost effectively.” In 2005, the year of these statistics were collected; over 1 million teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 used or were dependent on an illegal or illicit drug. This statistic collected by a Federal studies, this number represents almost 5% of American teens. Luckily, in different parts of the country where schools have begun random student drug testing, the number of teenage users are dropping. In 2009 over 1000 high schools and junior highs began preventative measures with the power of random drug screening and this number will only rise in 2010 as more positive results and information is spread.
With both state and federal courts recognizing the effectiveness and usefulness of high school drug testing program opponents of this issue are beginning to lose the battle. The United States Supreme Court has ruled on the matter twice, resulting in exceptions on the privacy rights of students to allow drug testing. The court ruling supports random drug screening for students whom there is “reasonable suspicion” of drug use and those whom participate in sports, after school programs or extracurricular activities. Our highest court’s clear decision was based upon the hard facts that drug testing in schools is a proven deterrent to teenage drug use.
Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com
