NEED FOR DRUG TESTING AT HIGH SCHOOL QUESTIONED

Regarding the Marietta Times' Friday, Jan. 15, headline story: "Drug
testing at MHS?"

According to the school officials, teachers, and coaches interviewed
for this article, there appears to be no identifiable drug problem
within the Marietta school system. Good news indeed and credit
should be given to the school board and all system employees
for this accomplishment. The testimonials in the article related to
drug abuse prevention is evidence that regular, open conversation
between adult role models and students is a proven abuse deterrent.

It is however, perplexing that the main thrust of the article was
not about the statistically proven methodology mentioned above being
a success, but rather, about the need to institute a new and
controversial program, mandatory drug testing.

The summary of the balance of the article is the justification of
the desire for mandatory drug testing of students involved in
extracurricular activities, even though there is no perceived "need"
and utilizes the following logic ... "Some other school systems are
doing it, so we should, too." This begs the observation: the same
faulty reasoning that many students succumb to when it comes to drug
abuse; "Other people are doing it, so consequentially, I will, too,"
is now being proposed by the school system. The irony of this double
standard will not be lost on the students.

One reason why drug testing is so controversial, unlike the existing
programs employed and proven viable by the Marietta school system,
is that there is no evidence that drug testing is an effective
deterrent to drug abuse. It is, however, a somewhat reliable method
of "catching" a person who has test results indicating (not proving)
a drug dependency. The problem is, when drug testing identifies a
student as a drug user, the potential problems are not automatically
solved. To what extent the Marietta school system is willing to
provide students who fail drug screenings with support and treatment
is of paramount concern. Exclusion from extracurricular activities
will not solve a drug abuse problem any more effectively than the
expulsion of a student solves an attendance problem.

Most district employees are trained in recognizing at-risk behavior
in students with drug dependency issues, so perhaps we need to
continue our proven strategy in addressing individual problems as
they arise, as our sister districts throughout the rest of the
county have wisely chosen to do, rather than embarking on an
expensive regime of mandatory drug tests, whereas all Marietta
students are presumed guilty of drug abuse until proven innocent.

Bob Dahler