Pubdate: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 Source: Nelson Mail, The (New Zealand) Copyright: 2003 Independent Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/indexLite/1,2487,0a9,FF.html Website: http://www.nelsonmail.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1069 Author: Bridget Cull Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/New+Zealand (New Zealand) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) STUDENTS MAY BE TESTED FOR DRUGS Nelson College is considering introducing drug testing, and school principals in the region fear it is only a matter of time before the drug P becomes a big problem. College headmaster Salvi Gargiulo said his school's board of trustees was to investigate the legalities of drug testing and report its findings to a conference in Wellington next month. "When we identify a student who seems to be dropping off the pace a little or changing his work habits, I would like to be able to test them," Mr Gargiulo said. "It wouldn't be random, it would be targeted." He said the idea was to create a deterrent for students who took drugs. "We know we have students all through the system dabbling with this stuff. It's not just a matter of simply targeting cannabis; it's the whole range of drugs. P sounds just so much more scary." P is crystal methamphetamine, also known as pure, burn, crystal or ice. Motueka High School principal Rex Smith said he was not looking forward to the inevitable problem of students using P. "We haven't had any evidence of it here yet," Mr Smith said. "I know from talking to some principals in the North Island that it is a problem there and I imagine it is only a matter of time before it starts to surface here." But his school did not plan to introduce targeted drug testing, he said. "Occasionally the board of trustees will require a student to produce evidence that they have done something about their drug problem. That is usually a drug test and going to counselling." The board had dealt with two students on drug-related matters this year, he said. "It doesn't happen very often, most of the time it's just teenage stupidity." No students had been expelled for drugs during the year-and-a-half he had been principal, he said. Nelson College for Girls principal Alison McAlpine said her school had used drug testing very occasionally for the past four years. "We might use it as a condition of being allowed back to school after being stood down for drugs," Mrs McAlpine said. "We haven't used it for at least a year though." However, she had hired a drugs dog a few weeks ago to come through the school and sniff the students' bags. "No one knew about it except for me. It is important for the girls to be reminded of the reality of it." Mr Gargiulo said there was a number of problems surrounding targeted drug testing which the board would have to look at, including getting parent and student permission to do it. Detective Sergeant Mark Kaveney of Nelson police said P was not much of a problem in the region just yet. "We've only dealt with it sporadically and we've had no involvement with it in schools," he said. "Unfortunately the way methamphetamine is spreading throughout the country I have no doubt that it will become more of a problem in the Nelson region. "But whatever the schools and principals are doing, good on them." However, undercover police say they are overwhelmed by the availability of P in Whangarei. Commenting on yesterday's release of national crime statistics that showed a 27.8 drop in cannabis offences, Northland police said methamphetamines were becoming an increasing problem in Northland. Crime services manager Detective Inspector Mark Franklin said 16 "meth labs" were found in Northland last year and eight had been found so far this year. Police had been told of violent domestic incidents in which P was a factor. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin