Pubdate: Mon, 19 Aug 2002
Source: Wausau Daily Herald (WI)
Copyright: 2002 Wausau Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1321
Author: Robert Sharpe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUG EDUCATION ONLY WAY TO REDUCE ABUSE

Editor:

Darryl Mayfield's Aug. 9 column on the Supreme Court's latest drug war 
exemption to the Constitution was right on target. Student involvement in 
after-school activities has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids 
busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing 
students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only 
discourage participation in extracurricular activities.

Drug testing may also compel users of relatively harmless marijuana to 
switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived 
high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough 
to make urinalysis a deterrent. Synthetic drugs are water-soluble and exit 
the body quickly. A student who takes one of these drugs on Friday night 
will likely test clean on Monday morning. If you think students don't know 
this, think again. Anyone capable of running a search on the Internet can 
find out how to thwart a drug test. Drug testing profiteers do not readily 
volunteer this information, for obvious reasons.

The most commonly abused drug, and the one most closely associated with 
violent behavior, is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug 
is alcohol, and it takes far more student lives every year than all illegal 
drugs combined. Instead of wasting money on counterproductive drug tests, 
schools should invest in reality-based drug education.

Robert Sharpe, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager