DRUG TEST CRITICS URGE CAUTION

Statistical Probability Of False Positive Finding Demands Follow-Ups

With employers and schools requiring drug tests for everything from
keeping a job to staying in an after-school program, drug policy
experts urge caution in how results are interpreted.

For one thing, not all tests are created equal.

Even among results at certified labs, there's a possibility of error:
Out of 100 drug tests, two to four turn up false positives, according
to Jennifer Kern, a research associate for the Drug Policy Alliance.

The national organization opposes drug testing for reasons other than
detecting impairment and treatment, and advocates for double-checking
when over-the-counter tests are used.

"People who are going to do drug screening have the burden on them to
offer a confirmatory test," said Nikos Leverenz, director of the Drug
Policy Alliance's Sacramento office, noting false positives even of
Olympians. "Because even at the highest levels, there are problems.
This is not really child's play and shouldn't be treated like it when
people's livelihood is concerned."

Random drug tests for school bus drivers are required nationwide, and
testing is necessary to get a job with Stanislaus County. At one
point, the Calaveras Unified School District randomly tested students
caught with drugs.

"We want to make sure we give them every option so they don't (use
drugs)," said Mike Merrill, principal at Calaveras High School in San
Andreas. "Certainly, the law is clear that you can test students in
band and you can test athletes."

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 upheld the ability of districts to
randomly test students involved in extracurricular activities. That
expanded on an earlier ruling allowing random testing for athletes.

"But they already have the extra set of eyes on them," Merrill said.
"What about the average student who needs help? The law doesn't
provide for that unless there's discipline."

The district had a program in the late '90s and earlier this decade
that tested students as part of their discipline contracts. If the
district finds a vendor to do testing, it would like to start the
system again and expand it to athletes, Merrill said.

The Modesto City Schools, Sylvan Union and Turlock Unified districts
don't test students.

In an example of how the system can net potentially innocent victims,
Ripon resident Kiana Crayton came forward after allegedly testing positive.

The test was conducted by Bethany Home Society of San Joaquin County
and was required for students using their facility for a nursing
program offered by Ripon Unified School District.

Crayton got two clean tests to try to prove her innocence: One from
Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and a second from Westcliff Medical
Laboratories. She still was dismissed from the nursing program.

Bethany Home Administrator Barbara Camping wouldn't say what kind of
test was used.

Crayton described it as a cup with a small, rectangular slide on the side.

Such tests cost $10 to $40 and are much less expensive than certified
lab tests, Kern said. But, they are also "pretty unreliable tests,"
she said. "That is an initial screening. The normal, more appropriate
procedure is then to follow up with that initial test by sending it
to a certified laboratory for confirmation testing."

Certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs can trigger false
positives, said Sandra Lucas, a mediator and administrator for
Stanislaus County Supe-rior Court, which does drug testing as part of
parental investigations.

For example, antihistamines such as Sudafed show up in drug tests for
amphetamines.

"There are false positives. I'm not going to say there aren't. They
are not common. But they do happen," Lucas said. "And we've heard the
horror stories. There are also false negatives, so it goes both ways."