ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM TO OFFER TESTING FOR TEENS WHO GET CAUGHT

Screenings Seen As A Check For Parents, Way For Youths To Show They're
Drug-Free

Waukesha County teens caught drinking or using illegal drugs may soon
find themselves getting drug tests through a new anti-drug abuse
program that eventually could be available to any county teens.

On July 1, the Waukesha County Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug
Abuse will begin offering voluntary, confidential drug testing for
teens referred to the agency by police or courts.

Someday the council may make drug tests available to the teens of all
interested parents. That would include those whose children have not
been caught at underage drinking parties or found with illegal drugs,
said Claudia Roska, the council's executive director.

Both parents and their children will have to consent to the testing,
which the council plans to arrange with a local laboratory.

"It is one of the most frequently asked questions we get: 'Where can I
get drug screenings done?' " Roska said, referring to parents and the
community.

The council has never offered drug testing. Testing also is not
available through similar agencies in surrounding counties, according
to Roska and an informal telephone survey.

In the past, the council has referred teens with substantial drug
problems to treatment centers, which often include drug screening as
part of their counseling. Under the new program, teens who are not in
treatment will be able to undergo drug tests to help prove to their
parents that they remain drug-free, Roska said.

Drug test results will be provided only to the families, Roska
said.

"My guess is that parents will want to have that information," Roska
said. "We're going to offer the screenings, and we'll see how much
interest there is."

The drug testing will be one component of a newly created 90-day
intervention and monitoring program designed to better steer youths
from substance abuse, Roska said. It is that expanded council program,
dubbed High Risk Youth Case Management, that is to begin July 1.

About 500 to 600 teens are referred to the council every year by
police officers or judges after getting tickets for underage drinking
or drug use, Roska said.

The council assesses the teens' substance use. If there are signs of
serious abuse or addiction, the teen is referred into treatment and
counseling, which often includes random drug screens, she said.

But most teens - about two-thirds of those who are assessed by the
council - are not determined to be drug-addicted and are referred
instead to a 10-hour substance abuse education program, Roska said.
Under the new pilot program, the council will maintain contact with
teens for 90 days after they complete the treatment or the education
program.

"It'll give us more time to talk to kids about what's going on, what
is it that our kids need" to avoid drugs, Roska said. "Instead of just
assessing and referring them out, let's spend more time with them"
through the 90-day follow-up, she said, explaining the program's goal.

That is when the drug testing will be offered, at a cost of about $50
for each screening, which will check the teens for use of 10 to 11
drugs including marijuana and cocaine, Roska said. The number of tests
given would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Also, the council will focus on family intervention and time
restructuring. Teens need to find alternative ways to socialize and
have fun, Roska said.

For parents, drug testing can be a way to make sure that their
children are telling the truth when they insist they have stopped
abusing drugs or alcohol, Roska said. For teens, it can be a way to
deflect peer pressure to continue drinking or smoking pot, she said.

"The teen can tell their friends, 'Hey, look, my parents have me
enrolled in this testing program so I can't do it,' " Roska said.
"That offers them an opportunity to bow out with dignity."

A New Strategy

Ozaukee Council Inc. Executive Director Brenda Stanislawski said
Monday that her agency, in Grafton, like many others locally does not
offer drug testing, but she supports the idea.

"Will we do that in the future? Maybe," Stanislawski said. "I wouldn't
be surprised if drug testing happens in more areas. It's a very
valuable tool in helping young people make good decisions."

The former Milwaukee Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependence,
now known as IMPACT Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, does not
offer drug testing at its offices, said Vickie Braden, the agency's
marketing director. The agency assesses teens and refers them to other
providers for appropriate services, Braden said.

Likewise, the Washington County Council on Alcohol and Other Drug
Abuse, in West Bend, does not offer drug screenings.

In the Waukesha School District, where a 1999 survey showed 40% of
district students had tried marijuana by 12th grade and about 15% of
juniors and seniors were regular users, a district supervisor has
applauded the idea of more drug testing.

James Haessly, the district's executive director of student services,
recently proposed mandatory random drug testing for students who
participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities. The
district already works with Waukesha Memorial Hospital to offer
voluntary testing to students caught with drugs or who are suspected
of drug use, he said.

In the 1998-'99 school year, the most recent data available, 37
district students were sent to Waukesha Memorial for testing, with the
majority testing positive for drugs, Haessly said.

"Any tool that any agency can give to parents to help them keep their
kids drug-free is a plus for the community," Haessly added.

Marlene Williams, a Waukesha County representative for Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, also praised the concept. "Anything is worth trying,"
Williams said. "If you can get across to one person, it's worth it."

Stanislawski said she often urges parents to purchase home drug
testing kits, available for about $60 at local pharmacies, and to give
them as gifts to their children when they are in middle school or
younger. She said parents should stress their love for their child as
the reason why they would ever use the home test if they suspected
drug use.

"It has to come out of love," Stanislawski said, adding, "I don't
think that's (drug testing) a bad thing at all."

However, several teens asked to comment on the new program said they
thought parent-child relationships could go to pot if parents suddenly
decided to insist that their child take a trip to the clinic.

"I don't like it one bit," said Chris Uy, 18, a recent graduate of
Brookfield Central High School. "I'd say to my parents, 'What, you
don't trust me?' From a parent's point of view it's awesome, but from
a kid's perspective it's horrible."

But Katherine McElwee, 16, of Milwaukee said, "The only child who
would object is a child who knows the test is going to be positive.
It's a good thing."

Said Katie Funk, 15, of Brookfield: "I would be offended. I get along with
my parents. They want me to tell them everything - and I do."

One parent interviewed pointed to a larger trust issue. "It was a
trust issue when the parent trusted the child not to do drugs," said
Pat Scott of Waukesha. "It's the parents' right to test their child,
and I would think the parent would have reason to be pretty suspicious
at that point."

However, "It would take a lot of guts for a parent to do that," Ryan
Heitman, 18, of Brookfield said of arranging for a drug test. "They'd
look pretty stupid if the kid passed."

Matt Palmquist of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this
report.