Pubdate: Fri, 05 May 2006 Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS) Copyright: 2006 The Clarion-Ledger Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) FEDERAL OFFICIAL TOUTS DRUG TESTING ROBINSONVILLE -- Drug testing in schools is an effective tool to identify children who need help and deter illegal drug use, one of the nation's top drug control policy advisers told a conference of Mississippi drug court judges, staff and treatment providers on Thursday. "We have this disease and it is being spread from child to child,"said Scott M. Burns, deputy director for State and Local Affairs in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Prevention is the most effective approach, Burns said. Burns was the keynote speaker for more than 100 members of the Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals at the group's second annual training conference at Grand Casino Conference Center. The Office of National Drug Control Policy advises the president on national and international drug control policies and strategies. Its purpose is to establish policies, priorities and objectives for the nation's drug control program. The cost of drug testing is among the arguments often cited against using it in schools. Burns put the price in perspective: "It costs about $35 for a test. Whether or not a kid is addicted to a disease is as important as half the price of a pair of gym shoes or the current jean craze." Federal money is available to set up student drug testing programs, Burns said. Burns said he favors school-wide, random drug testing, not just testing athletes or cheerleaders or some other select group. He said the testing needs to start in junior high because children ages 11 to 13 begin experimenting with drugs at that age. Rankin County Court Judge Tom Broome, whose duties include Youth Court, said that he's seen favorable results from drug testing of students in Rankin County Public Schools and Pearl Public Schools. "It's beneficial because those children may never enter the Youth Court system. It's our hope that some of those problems will be stopped before they become greater," Broome said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake