POCKET MONEY LINK TO DRUG USE BY TEENAGERS

ILLICIT drug use by Australian schoolchildren is more common among
those with the most pocket money, according to new research.

But a year-long study into whether schools should test for drugs
found that alcohol was a far more widespread problem among teenagers
than illicit substances such as cannabis, ecstasy and methamphetamine.

The finding comes on the eve of today's COAG summit, at which Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd and state and territory leaders will discuss
strategies to tackle teenage binge drinking.

The research, by the Australian National Council on Drugs, found that
in any given week, one in five 16 to 17-year-olds drank at harmful
levels. By contrast, fewer than 4% of school students were regular
users of cannabis, and fewer than 1% used other illicit drugs.

The researchers came out strongly against testing for drugs in
schools, saying it would be unreliable, legally risky and, in some
cases, could prompt students to stay away from school to avoid being tested.

Children could also be embarrassed or traumatised by the process,
particularly if they were falsely suspected of taking drugs or given
a false reading, the report said.

"Drug testing would just create alienation in schools," the National
Council on Drugs' executive director, Gino Vumbaca, said. "We need to
have more strategies where students feel a stronger sense of being
connected to their school."

The report, Drug Testing in Schools - Evidence, Impacts and
Alternatives, was prompted by growing public concern over drug use at
private and government schools.

The report found that students with relatively high disposable
incomes were most at risk of getting into drugs. Those who had
between $21 and $60 a week in pocket money were 60% more likely to
have used drugs in the past 12 months than those with less than $20 a
week to spend.

The study was based on a review of international research and a
nationwide survey of almost 300 people. It also found:

? An annual saliva test on each student would cost $355 million, and
an annual urine test would cost $302 million.

? Below-average academic performers were more likely to use illicit
drugs than above-average students.

? Illicit drug use in schools had been declining for a decade.

In Victoria, few schools conduct drug tests, and those that do tend
to be private schools.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said state schools
were required to provide educational programs and report drug
offences to the police, but the Government did not support "any type
of drug testing in schools for students and teachers".

Melbourne Grammar principal Paul Sheahan said his school had
drug-tested boys for about 10 years, but only if there was a strong
suspicion that students were using drugs. "The idea is one of
salvation, rather than damnation," he said.

But Australian Secondary Principals Association president Andrew
Blair said drug testing could do more harm than good, and schools
would be better off creating intervention strategies and focusing on
education, health and wellbeing, and support for staff and students.
"Creating an environment of mistrust is not the answer," Mr Blair said.

Of those surveyed for the report, more than 70% said they either
opposed or strongly opposed drug testing in schools, 96% said it
would lead to mistrust between students and school staff, and 72%
believed testing would stigmatise students with drug problems.

The pro-testing lobby group Drug Free Australia said it would be
"extremely unfortunate" if the report resulted in no testing taking
place in schools where drugs were an issue.

Executive officer Jo Baxter said the report had failed to include
some contemporary research, including a 2007 United Nations World
Drug Report, which showed Australia leading the OECD in per-capita
illicit drug use among 15 to 64-year-olds.

She said there was also evidence that the age of initial use of drugs
was getting younger as ice and methamphetamine use increased. "We are
concerned that this report might preclude (testing) as an option for
schools," she said.

"It shouldn't be ruled out because for some schools it would be very
appropriate - particularly if it's not punitive and it's about early
intervention."

Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia spokesperson Paul
Dillon said drug-testing students in schools would send the wrong messages.

"Testing can imply that drug taking is mainstream, it's saying that
it's so rampant that we have to test for it on a regular basis. But
every piece of information we have is that drug taking is not the
norm and we should be promoting that," he said.

In 2006, independent South Australian MP and anti-drugs campaigner
Ann Bressington called for compulsory drug tests for all secondary
school students.

Yesterday she said the findings indicated that the National Council
on Drugs was out of step with the views of parents. "This problem
will continue to grow and parents won't get the support they need,"
she said. "Parents have complained to me that students who are
obviously drug-affected in the classroom are disruptive, aggressive
and abusive, and this makes the classroom environment very difficult."