Pubdate: Sat, 02 Feb 2008 Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2008 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Contact: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/195 Author: Joseph Harris QUARREL OVER TESTING SENDS WRONG MESSAGE What do Hawai'i's hospitals and Wal-Mart have in common? They both have random drug-testing policies to protect patients and consumers - in other words, the public. If they can agree to set certain standards and expectations, why can't those who influence and educate the most precious gifts our community has? Hawai'i's students have enough on their plates already, and issues such as peer pressure, sex, violence, the Internet and drug abuse already weigh heavily on the minds of parents. Do we really want someone addicted to meth/ice, cocaine, heroin, pot, etc., corrupting or harming our children, or worse, supplying them with these harmful substances? The longer we inconsiderately continue to quarrel over and meander through this issue of random drug testing for Hawai'i teachers, what message are we really sending to the future leaders of tomorrow? That their safety means less than the sick or consumers? Instead of squabbling, we need to adopt the same mentality for drug-testing policies that we did for drug dealers peddling their poison near the very places we now harbor many of their clients. JOSEPH HARRIS Mililani - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath