Even the
so-called
soft drugs
are the
victims. The
effects of
cannabis,
for example,
are not
limited to
the
"feel",
this drug
can also
lead to
serious
problems
with memory
and
learning, as
well as
difficulty
in thinking
and problem
solving.
Children who
take drugs
do not get
as good
grades than
non-consumers
peers.
This
inability to
protect our
children
from drugs
and
substance
abuse is
unacceptable.
We can not
responsibly
do not
retain as
effective
tools that
drug
testing.
Like vision
and hearing
tests, drug
testing can
alert
parents to
potential
problems
that
continued
drug use
might cause,
such as
liver or
lung damage,
memory
impairment,
addiction,
overdose,
even death.
Testing can
also be an
effective
way to
prevent drug
use. The
expectation
that they
may be
randomly
tested is
enough to
make some
students
stop using
drugs—or
never start
in the first
place.
That kind of
deterrence
has been
demonstrated
many times
over in the
American
workplace.
Employees in
many
national
security and
safety-sensitive
positions—airline
pilots,
commercial
truck
drivers,
school bus
drivers, to
name a
few—are
subject to
pre-employment
and random
drug tests
to ensure
public
safety.
Employers
who have
followed the
Federal
model have
seen a 67-
percent drop
in positive
drug tests.
Along with
significant
declines in
absenteeism,
accidents,
and
healthcare
costs,
they’ve also
experienced
dramatic
increases in
worker
productivity.
In numerous
countries
practising
the tests of
drugs, a
number
students
resist the
idea of drug
testing,
many endorse
it. For one
thing, it
gives them a
good excuse
to say “no”
to drugs.
Peer
pressure
among young
people can
be a
powerful and
persuasive
force.
Knowing they
may have to
submit to a
drug test
can help
kids
overcome the
pressure to
take drugs
by giving
them a
convenient
"out".
It is
important to
understand
that the
goal of
school-based
drug testing
is not to
punish
students who
use drugs.
The primary
purpose is
to deter use
and guide
those who
test
positive
into
counseling
or
treatment.
In addition,
drug testing
in schools
should never
be
undertaken
as a
stand-alone
response to
the drug
problem.
Rather, it
should be
one
component of
a broader
program
designed to
reduce
students’
use of
illegal
drugs.