Drug Testing In High Schools

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.

Say no to drugs! Goggle search said “Drugs are one of the top causes of teen deaths and suicides in the United States.” Drugs have been around for years and each year the death rates and suicide rates have increased dramatically especially in teen students. This is why it is very important that parents teach their kid at an early age about drugs. The Teachers and school staff are trying their best to teach the kids that drugs are not cool. The schools think it is best that all Middle School Students should be drug tested. The drug-testing program serves as a deterrent for middle school students that are encountering drugs of all kinds, including steroids, alcohol and marijuana.

Another issue of drug testing student athletes is that it is also known to be ineffective. Drug testing will not point out students who are facing drug abuse and will not be able to help them. Studies found no difference between drug use in schools with and without testing. “A 2003 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse – the largest of its kind – examined 94,000 students at 900 schools in the U.S. and found no difference between levels of drug use at schools that test their students and those that do not,” (Cosner). Drug use will still be existent in high schools. Studies conclude that drug use in schools that use testing and those that don’t. In fact, students may stop using drugs easy to detect like marijuana, and start using cocaine, heroin, and drugs similar to those. Students who really enjoy getting involved in sports, but have a strong attraction to drugs, may end up using harder drugs so they won’t get caught. As discussed in the article on The New York Times webpage,

The goal of mandatory drug testing would be to reduce student substance by deterring substance use, detecting substance use, and the influence of the behaviors of students peers. Students involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports that are subject to in school drug testing, report less drug use than students in high school that do not play a sport and do not get drug tested. By drug testing the Athens student body would help by insure a safe, secure, and healthy school environment where students can reach their full academic potential to learn. Athens High schools goal should be to identify students with possible drug abuse issues and to intervene. Students should be required to take drug test to be allowed to park on campus. Less drugs in

NIDA believes drug testing will help kids say no to peer pressure. NIDA talks about the testing methods and the laws to be able to use drug test in and on workplaces, schools, adults, and students. This article is for helping people say no to peer pressure and drugs. The strong points are found in the long-term effects and the short-term effects on drug testing. The articles weak points are that there are not many facts to back up the methods NIDA

Secondly, even when telling the students that the drug test is approaching, it does not decrease the usage of drugs. In those high schools that tested athletes, between the drug test surveys given to students by University of Michigan research investigators, there was roughly a 94 percent agreeance between the students at both of the schools that implement drug testing policies and those who do not, that they had been using drugs within the last year (Swanbrow). Furthermore, the test do not deter students from taking other drugs that will not show up on the test. The University of Michigan research investigators even surveyed experienced marijuana users and asked how the drug test would impact their usage of it and other drugs. The students essentially said that even when knowing the test was coming they were still going to take the drugs and still manage to pass the test by using others urine for example. The data from students surveyed from drug testing and non-drug testing schools stated that their usage of drugs was almost exactly the same, roughly a six percent difference between the two. Therefore, the drug testing programs

Hello have you heard about the controversy with the school drug testing.Well at the moment middle school students can only be drug tested if they show symptoms of drug abuse and even then they are rare.There is prove that all grades 7-12 have kids that take drugs.That’s why i think middle school drug test should happen more often to prevent kids getting addicted to drugs.That is why I think middle schools should test kids.

Persuading kids to not do drugs is a tough subject to approach as parents and teachers. When it comes to kids being unhappy, they will more than likely hear that drugs bring happiness to them. With drug testing involved in high schools and middle schools. The students should see that it is no longer an option to do drugs in order for their own self happiness. Students can result to other options that are more acceptable to society, and not to mention activities that are legal. Although these kids may not think the best about the idea of drug testing; consequently, it will have to force them to find happiness by participating in sports, getting a job or socializing with their peers.

Some people, however, find mandatory drug testing for students the right way to go for numerous reasons. This could lead to early detection and intervention to prevent students from becoming too dependent and addicted to drugs, thus, shrinking the number of drug addicts in the future. Also, scheduled drug testing will deter use of drugs at all and given more reason to reject and ignore peer pressure, one of the main reasons students are assumed to use drugs. With these two effects in place, it would greatly improve the goal of schools to provide a safe and drug-free environment where it currently is seen to sometimes fail and with an increasingly positive environment it will only lead to students’ success and happiness (John and National Institute on Drug

After examining the issues surrounding drug testing students and teachers at the school, I disagree that students and teachers should not be tested. One reason I maintain this positive is that students should not be drug tested so they won’t feel peer pressure. In the article, testing the limits, Peter V. emphasize that drug testing in schools argues that it helps teens fight the pressure to use drugs. As a teen, I have firsthand experience with my friend drinking. However student’s won’t listen, they will still do drugs. In contrast, they agree that students should not be drug tested. Peter V. analysis of testing the limits in positively Negative Results has strengthened my perspective that the students should not be drug tested because drug

Imagine a boy named Ian. Ian did drugs but no one knew. He was failing school he was depressed, he was always dizzy and hazy but people pick on him for that without knowing his problem. No one can help him with his problem because no one knows he has this problem. Soon after it followed him into his adult life. This could have been avoided in the first place if the school had a drug test available, then he could have gotten help earlier and stopped this before it got serious. Good afternoon I’m Francesco Papadopoulos and I will talk about why drug tests should be allowed and permitted by law in all high schools. They should be permitted because of the many benefits like improving peoples health and safety, you can also help people who have drug problems; and this can show that giving up privacy is okay for their and others benefits.

Many students used prohibited drugs. Schools must required drug testing to filter out the drug users. If they already know the people who used drugs, they will proceed to counseling. In that way, they will know the reasons of the students why they are taking prohibited drugs. The guidance counselor is the one who will guide the students for good. If someone is detected using drugs it is not important that they are caught doing wrong and they will not be kicked out of the school.(Pemberton/2011/par.3) Instead, he or she will be helped by the school for guidance. Mandatory drug test can help for student's future career. If he or she is not guided by the school, he or she will not succeed in life. Mandatory drug test can also help from student's safety. It can benefit a lot someone's

Many high schools across the country have brought much attention to the idea of giving random drug tests to students in high school. The newfound interest in student drug testing may be as a result of recent polls, which have shown an increase in drug use among high school students. Many teachers, parents, and members of school comities are for the drug testing, while most students and some parents feel that this would be a violation of students rights as Americans, which is true.

In contrast to the people who believe that drug testing is helpful and necessary in schools, others have a sharp difference in opinions. These people think that “random drug testing is not associated with a change in the numbers of students who use drugs in any category” (“Random Drug Testing Cannot Prevent Student Drug Abuse”). Disbelievers in the programs believe that they violate student rights and feed more money into the drug testing industry. It is also said that since the testing can only target students who participate in extracurriculars, students can easily get around the tests by simply not participating in those activities. Evidence of these accusations come from a study out of The University of Michigan called Monitoring the Future. This study showed little to no difference in drug abuse among students when comparing schools that participate in the RSDT and have similar demographic backgrounds. Non supporters also think the programs are ineffective. These ideas are backed up by The Office of Management and Budget, where they deemed the programs ineffective in reducing youth drug use, violence, and crime. They also believe that

It seems that drugs have become a major epidemic within teenagers in the last few years. There is only so much that can be done to try and eliminate drug use, while not dramatically changing anything in the community. Drug testing the district’s student athletes provides many reasons that it is a worthwhile expense. Lawyers, Mark Vetter and Daniel Chanen, stated in the Sports Law Institute Newsletter “First, student-athletes were the leaders of the drug culture” (Vetter and Chanen ¶3). This simple statement proves that athletes need to be drug tested; it will improve multiple circumstances within the district and the lives of athletes. Drug testing student athletes at the high school level is a step every school district needs to take in order to improve their schools, and the students’ lifestyles despite the high price tag on these tests.