SCHOOL DRUG TESTING: JUST PART OF AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM

The topic of random drug testing students in the William S. Hart Union
High School District has prompted a heated debate at several school
board meetings, with groups of parents, teachers, and school
administrators who attended meetings voicing the pros and cons of
student drug testing. I believe many are confused about the reasons
for drug testing. The question is why. For some there is a fear
factor: What if my kid is using drugs, now what do I do? Some believe
it is an invasion of personal privacy; some believe the wrong students
will be drug tested; some fear it sends an anti-trust message.

Drug use has been around since the dawn of time. I doubt it will ever
be eradicated. There will always be someone who will choose to use
drugs and drink alcohol to excess, become addicted, and suffer the
consequences of drug use. The fact is, too many of our children are
getting lost in drug and alcohol use.

As a certified addiction specialist, I have been working with kids for
more than 25 years and have seen many of our kids make both good and
bad decisions. Unfortunately for some, bad decisions have been last
decisions. It is our responsibility to help children make the right
choices. One of the worst decisions children can make is to gamble
their lives and futures on drugs. Parents and educators have a
responsibility to keep children and teens safe from drug use.

There is no one thing that will keep kids off drugs; it's a
combination of strategies. It starts with home education: talking to
our kids about alcohol and drug use and the consequences of such use.

Talking to our kids doesn't mean a two-minute conversation when they
are 6 years old. It means taking advantage of teachable moments,
continuous age-appropriate conversations, parental self-education,
(being aware of our community surroundings, as well as what is going
on with our kids, their likes, dislikes, and friends who many hold a
broader influence over them than we do as parents). Peer pressure is
at an all-time high in our society and we know kids spend more time
with their peers than ever before.

No matter what your take on drug use is, I don't think there is a teen
out there today who doesn't know somebody who is drinking or using. In
fact, I have been privileged to be a guest speaker at many school
assemblies, and it never ceases to amaze me when I call for the
question, "Do you know somebody who is drinking or using drugs?" More
than half of those in attendance raise their hands.

As responsible community members, we are obligated to use every means
at our disposal to deter kids from drug use. School administrators
faced with the task of keeping their students drug free have used a
variety of prevention and education programs. A precipitating event -
a tragic drug overdose death or an alarming escalation in levels of
drug use, for example - will often spur a school to seek additional
means of reducing the drug problem.

Student drug testing is only part of the puzzle when it comes to a
comprehensive drug and alcohol prevention, intervention, and treatment
program. Prevention messages will keep many students from using drugs
and may prompt some who experiment with drugs to stop.

For many students, drug testing is a wake-up call. For these students,
a positive drug test is so embarrassing that the test itself becomes
an intervention. It is enough to deter further use. Their concern for
their family, friends, and reputation outweighs the benefits of using.
There are others, however, who have begun using alcohol and drugs, who
are not responsive to prevention messages. Many of these users have
not yet experienced the adverse health effects of their drug use,
academic decline, and trouble with law enforcement agencies. But they
will.

One of the best ways to block the spread of drug use is through early
intervention, which encourages friends, family, caregivers, and others
to get actively involved in the lives of drug users - and the sooner
the better. The idea is to identify nondependent users, through drug
testing and other means, then steer them from drugs to counseling, if
necessary, before they become addicted or entice others to use drugs.

Kids whose drug use has already progressed to abuse and dependence may
require more intense or clinical intervention, such as specialty
treatment. Drug testing not only helps identify students who use
drugs; it also creates a deterrent to use. It helps young people cope
with peer pressure, giving them a convenient reason to say "no" to
that six-pack of beer, the joint of marijuana, or popping prescription
medication. It underscores the message that drugs are a barrier to
achieving one's full potential.

As a parent, I appreciate the school district is considering taking a
public stand against drugs for the best interest of our kids. As a
heath care professional, I don't look at drug testing as an invasion
of privacy, but a commitment to our children and the community we live
in.

As a certified addiction specialist and treatment professional working
in the trenches with Santa Clarita Valley teens, here's what they are
battling in our middle schools - cigarettes, alcohol, over-the-counter
medications such as cough suppressants and cold remedies that give
them an LSD-like high when they take more than the recommended dose.
In our high schools, marijuana use is at an all-time high; just ask
any teen. Alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamines (crystal meth) is
prevalent. The explosion of prescription drug use (painkillers, muscle
relaxants, and anti-anxiety medications) is starting to out-number
marijuana use, not only in the Santa Clarita Valley, but across the
country. Ecstasy has become a popular drug of choice for our teens
once again.

Across the country, student drug testing is debated on a daily basis.
Drug testing should never be used to punish students. Rather, it
should be used to deter our kids from using drugs and alcohol, giving
them a reason to say "no." It also identifies kids who truly need help
- - providing them avenues of counseling or treatment.

I believe a testing program can be done effectively and
compassionately. Drug testing is not a substitute for all of our
efforts to reduce student drug use, but it does make all those efforts
much stronger and more effective. The bottom line: We need to get
between our kids and drugs any way we can.