Pubdate: Thu, 01 Mar 2007 Source: Advance Titan (UW Oshkosh, WI Edu) Copyright: 2007 Advance Titan Contact: http://www.advancetitan.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3609 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n223/a04.html RANDOM DRUG TESTS ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY Regarding Teresa Puschnig's Feb. 22 column, the U.S. Supreme Court made a terrible mistake when it created an exemption to the Constitution and ruled in favor of allowing drug tests for students in extracurricular activities. Student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. Sports 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. Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. More dangerous synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and prescription pharmaceuticals are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think drug users don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search 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 each year than all illegal drugs combined. Instead of wasting money on counterproductive drug tests, schools should invest in reality-based drug education. Students who want to help end the intergenerational culture war otherwise known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com. Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom