CONSEQUENCE: STUDENT DRUG TESTS

The increase in prescription-drug overdose deaths is part of
nationwide trend. Federally funded school drug tests are part of the
problem.

Marijuana is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough to
make urinalysis a deterrent. Students know this.

Anyone capable of an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug
test. Drug tests may compel marijuana smokers to switch to harder
drugs. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics
opposes student drug testing.

While culture warriors in Congress obsess over nonlethal marijuana,
prescription-drug-overdose deaths are skyrocketing. According to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control, prescription-drug overdose is now
second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death from
unintentional injury in the United States.

The phrase "if it saves one life" has been used to justify all manner
of drug-war intrusions. Eliminating drug tests that encourage the use
the deadly prescription drugs has the potential to save thousands of
lives.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington