DRUG TESTING GETS FAILING GRADE

The Office of National Drug Control Policy descends upon Orlando,
Fla., on Thursday to host the first of four "summits" around the
country promoting random student drug testing. While Orange County
has resisted what Drug Czar John Walters calls a "silver bullet,"
enthusiastic conference presenters will no doubt sound as though they
have all the answers for preventing teen drug use, and backed with a
federal budget upwards of $9 million, the push in on.

As the mother of four, a National Institute on Drug Abuse scholar and
director of a drug abuse prevention program advocating science-based
drug education for teens, I urge Florida's educators and parents to
be wary of "feel good" promises and proceed with extreme caution when
it comes to student drug testing, as it may be doing more harm than
good. Consider the very real pitfalls:

* Random drug testing has not been proven to deter drug use. In 2003,
the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the largest study ever
conducted on the topic. Researchers compared 76,000 students in
schools with and without drug testing and found no differences in
illegal drug use among students from both sets of schools. In a 2005
report that critiqued studies touted by ONDCP in support of random
student drug testing, professor Neil McKeganey found fundamental
flaws and biases, saying, "It is a matter of concern that student
drug testing has been widely developed within the USA ... on the
basis of the slimmest available research evidence."

* Random drug testing alienates students. The collection of a
specimen is a humiliating violation of privacy that already
self-conscious adolescents should not have to endure.

* Drug testing can have the unanticipated effect of keeping students
from participating in after-school, extracurricular programs --
activities that would fill their time during the peak teenage
drug-use hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

* Random testing infuses an insidious sense of suspicion into the
delicate student-teacher relationship, which can create a hostile
school environment. This is especially disturbing in light of
research showing that student connectedness to their school is an
important predictor of success.

* Drug testing is expensive and inefficient. School districts across
the country, including many in Florida, are in financial crisis and
simply cannot afford to shell out thousands of dollars each year
while extracurricular programs struggle to survive. Gateway High, for
example, in Osceola County, initially implemented a drug-testing
program but dropped it a year later due to budgetary concerns.

* Testing is not the best way to detect problems with alcohol and
other drugs. Though it may provide a false sense of security among
school officials and parents, who believe it tells which students
abuse drugs, in fact testing detects only a tiny fraction of users
and misses too many who are in trouble. If we are truly intent on
helping students, we should listen to drug-abuse professionals who
know that detection of problems requires careful attention to signs
such as truancy, erratic behavior and falling grades.

Some argue that students need drug testing to help them say "no," but
research questions this assumption. The 2005 "State of Our Nation's
Youth" survey found that, contrary to popular belief, most teens are
not pressured to use drugs. Besides, if teens don't learn how to
respond to the presence and pressure of the drug culture when they
are in high school, when will they learn?

Random drug testing may seem a panacea, but it is fraught with
social, emotional and financial problems. Before we leap into a
program that uses students as guinea pigs, we should examine the many
repercussions, pitfalls and alternatives to random drug testing.