NEW KIND OF PEER PRESSURE

The District 158 school board took a big step last week, implementing
a policy to randomly drug-test students involved in extracurricular activities.

Drug testing students is controversial and will have consequences,
but it is within the rights of the school district to set such a
policy. Participating in extracurricular activities is a privilege
and something schools should encourage. Such participation is valued
by universities and society.

If schools want to force students to choose between extracurricular
activities and using drugs, we hope students will make the only
sensible choice.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs among young athletes,
prescription drug abuse, and the use of illicit drugs are concerns.
According to a recent National Institute on Drug Abuse survey, nearly
one-third of high school seniors and more than one-quarter of
10th-graders said they had used marijuana this year. There was some
good news, though. The use of harder drugs, such as cocaine,
hallucinogens and methamphetamine, has declined.

There likely always will be experimentation with drugs among some
young people. Some will grow out of it and lead productive lives, but
many aren't as fortunate and such choices have permanent
consequences. Although it's true that some of these drugs are more
harmful than others, no sane adult ever would counsel a child to use them.

It's not as if these students can expect to go through their adult
lives without the possibility of facing drug tests from employers or
that taking drugs will have no real consequences in life. There is no
reason to shelter them from that reality.

Peer pressure among teens toward negative pursuits is powerful, but
social pressure to avoid them also can be a potent motivator.