Coalition Against CANNABIS
The
value of “RANDOM
STUDENT DRUG TESTING”
The “Schools Health Education Unit” survey questioned 15881 teenagers at 334 primary schools and found that 29% of 14 and 15-year old males had tried cannabis in 2001 compared to 19% in 1999. The proportion of 14 and 15-year-old girls who had smoked cannabis had also risen from 18% in 1999 to 25% in 2001. One of the leading causes for this sky-rocketing drug use was that the perception of harmfulness of cannabis ( and of drugs in general ) by youngsters is decreasing. Mr Blunkett's statement in mid-2001 that he was 'minded to re-classify cannabis' was undoubtedly another major factor.
The implementation of “Random Student Drug Testing” (RSDT) in schools give students a clear signal that illegal drug use is not tolerated in society, thereby illustrating the harmfulness of drugs. For any given school, implementation of RSDT may be in response to a clearly recognized problem, or a declaration of commitment to prevention.
RSDT gives young people a reason to say “No” and enhance the possibility for early intervention. The knowledge that their drug use can and will be detected may prove stronger than the attraction of any drug.
Schools considering RSDT can ask for public input, bringing together anyone who has interest in reducing student drug use. Student Councils, if any, can and should also be involved.
RSDT is non-punitive. If a child is using drugs and that use is detected through RSDT, the child is sustained in the educational or medical environment, getting the counselling and treatment he or she needs. Before implementing a drug testing program, schools must make sure appropriate resources are in place to deal with students who test positive. Conduct-related infractions involving drugs and violence would still be treated as punishable offences under existing disciplinary procedures.
RSDT should be applicable to all students. All students and their parents would be required to sign a consent form agreeing to be part of the testing program. All drug testing records should be kept strictly confidential. The trust between teacher and student is never violated, because the teacher is never involved in the process of RSDT. All records of drug testing should be destroyed upon the child's departure from the school district. Type of drugs to be tested for should be determined by the particular school district's need. Every positive screening test should be confirmed by a laboratory-based confirmation test.
Annual results of RSDT programs can be determined by either student surveys or by the number of positives recorded, and publicly reported. Future support is dependent on valid assessments of yearly results. Typically, RSDT reports increase support as the programmes demonstrate their effectiveness at creating and maintaining school safety and improving the educational environment. Recent evaluations done in the USA on schools that have implemented RSDT demonstrate that these programmes really do work. In one such example, testing year-on-year showed decreases ranging from 14% to 100%. In another, almost 90% of schools across an entire state reported a major beneficial impact from RSDT, and in comparing athletics programmes at two schools, the school with RSDT had 75% fewer instances of self-reported drug use.
RANDOM STUDENT DRUG TESTING – A SOUND INVESTMENT IN OUR CHILDRENS' FUTURE.
