Dangers Of Drug Testing For Student Athletes

In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.

The amount of homicides have increased by 7.4 percent in the past few year all of them were drug related. Drug testing High school athletes is a good idea because it has the kids pick a priority in life. It also teaches them responsibility and the consequences

Many high school athletes oppose to drug testing, because they feel that it is not right. High school athletes shouldn’t be drug tested because it is very costly, a violation of rights, and student athletes won’t be able to play high school sports. In fact to drug test one 400 athletes at an average 24 dollars per student athlete (Ingraham).

With high school budgets dropping, and more athletes joining the sports teams the possibility of drug testing every athlete becomes less likely daily. School’s budgets cannot afford to test every student athlete. With prices rising and budgets dropping, the 100,000-dollar price tag to test 600 Florida high school students doesn’t look too appealing to the schools budget, which is why the program fell through shortly after. Also, in 2007, high schools in Texas performed more than 10,000 drug tests on student athletes but the program shrunk to thirty-three percent of its original size (“How Effective”). Knowing that the worth of a single dollar is plummeting and prices at an all-time high, is drug testing our student athletes necessary? To just test 600 students (the size of some senior classes) in Florida is roughly 100,000-dollars. Seeing schools waste money like that on unproven programs with limited results is shameful. Drug testing students in mass quantities or even testing at all is costing high schools a pretty penny and all drug testing programs are failing because of lack of funding. To get more in depth, to break down each individual testing price can cost schools a fortune. Now know, the cost of a single test can range between 15-35 dollars, which could lead to tens of thousands annually. Over an eight-year period Texas high schools spent an estimated 10 million dollars on urine tests for student athletes

In recent years the number of athletes caught using drugs has increased dramatically. The use of a illegal or unprescribed drugs can cause serious problems and unfairness in many ways. Certain drugs can cause harm to the user and the people around the user, most student athletes do not even know what they are putting into their bodies. With all the risks many persons propose student athletes to be drug tested at random.

I believe that drug testing all athletes is a good things for many reasons. One reason is the fact that “half of high school seniors have used an illicit drug by the time they graduate and about one-quarter are regular users by the time they graduate,” according a statistic study done in (YEAR) (Roan). This statistic shows that a lot of the people are using drugs during school. Nevertheless, some athletes are using these drugs while they are playing a sport which is an unfair advantage to other athletes. One key example of this is steroids, which are seen “[producing] quick gains for the athlete,” and giving the athlete an unfair advantage over other players (Steroid). This is important as these athletes are fighting to get a scholarships

According to the New York Times great athletes were involved in drug unethical behavior over the past ten years. This brought a big attention to the schools across the nation to start drug testing student athletes. Giving this some thought school's drug testing students is a great idea.

A national survey stated that American teens use drug to perform better at athlete events; They also use drugs to improve their looks. Another confidential survey that was taken, in 2013, used 3,705 high school students. The survey’s results showed that possibly 11% of the students used synthetic HGH once at the minimum amount, and the amount of students taking steroids increases from 5% to 7% perecent while doing the survey. Drugs can be dangerous that’s why school officials and parents are worried. This drug issue might cause student athletes to get drug tested.

If the high school that you went to did randomized drug testing on athletes would you have been fine with it? Drug testing is violating the athletes Fourth Amendment right. The testing is a waste of money by the school. Drug testing doesn’t deter student athletes from doing drugs if he or she know it is randomized. Randomized drug testing of high school athletes is a bad idea.

Do you know someone who is a student athlete? What would you think if he/she consumed illegal drugs? What would you do if you found out he/she died from drugs? Student athletes are not aware of the long-term consequences of consuming drugs in their life. Adults need to step up and approach student athletes about the danger of the impact it can have on their life. Many student athletes will consume drugs in their teenage years to improve their performance in the sports they play. Athletes are not educated well enough in high school about the harm that a drug can do to their body. While drug testing invades the athlete's personal life, every high school should drug test their student athletes before

Student athletes should always be required to take a drug test because it can affect their sports. Student athletes could be ruining their chances at getting a scholarship for sports. If any

According to a new study in Minnesota, about 20% of middle school and high school students have used an antibiotic steroid. A student who played football went to the pharmacy to get a refill on his prescription of steroids, the night of the last football game of the season. He asked if they upped the prescription, and they did. As he was taking the steroids his coach walks in the locker room, and saw him swallow them. He knew the coach had to tell the board to the college of his dreams, The University of Alabama. They took away his full ride scholarship, and he later on had health issues. High school athletes should be tested for performance enhancing drugs because it's illegal, it is considered cheating, and it can causes health issues. The

Student athletes should not be drug tested because it makes students feel bad about themselves , cost,and the amendments.

The focus athletes have throughout the season is tremendous. Athletes train to compete; they train to win. Yet, once the time comes, they can’t compete because of their choice. Their mistake was that they did drugs. Studies show that 20% of student athletes claim to participate in drug use; yet that’s only the few that have been reported(NCAA 1). To stop this addiction is something high schools need to push for, and in order to do this, schools need to hold their students accountable. High schools should have mandatory drug test for student athletes before competing.

Introducing the fear to students on drug testing that will directly affect them, will most likely decrease the use of drugs being abused. The president of the Institute for Behavior and Health explains that RSDT (Random Student Drug Test) could be used on any athlete, any day, and any time without notice (DuPont et al ¶6). Making the testing random will help eliminate any cheating or strategizing that the students who would test positive could be doing. Keith Ablow, MD and psychiatrist published an article in 2011 said that, both varsity and junior varsity teams should be tested with results kept private (¶6). To only test Varsity athletes would be unacceptable because JV athletes could cause just as much harm to athletes around them as to themselves. To make it fair and because kids follow by example, coaches would test also (Ablow ¶ 9). When a positive test appears, there should be punishment, but not to the extent of expulsion. Guidelines to RSDT programs say it is not supposed to end up in punishment for drug tests (DuPont et al ¶25). Not giving any punishment would defeat the purpose because then kids would not care to stop their drug use. Random drug tests to not only student-athletes, but students in general will promote a healthier lifestyle without drug use (DuPont et al ¶5). Students should be on edge not knowing if they are going to be tested or