STUDENTS NEED EDUCATION NOT TESTING ON DRUGS

Would drug testing have saved the life of the 18-year-old Lake Zurich
man who died of a heroin overdose? Probably not. Despite a short-lived
high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body
long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. This is one of the reasons
the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing.
Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for
days. More dangerous opioid narcotics and synthetic drugs like
methamphetamine are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you
think students don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running
an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. The most
commonly abused drug and the one most closely associated with violent
behavior is almost impossible to detect with urinalysis. That drug is
alcohol, and it takes far more student lives each year than all
illegal drugs combined. Instead of wasting money on counterproductive
drug tests, schools should invest in reality-based drug education.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.