PRIVACY RIGHTS TAKE A BACK SEAT TO WAR ON NARCOTICS

Edmonton public schools have a new weapon in the war against drugs.
He's not even two years old, but Ebony the drug-sniffing black
Labrador retriever will soon paw his way through the halls of city
high schools to deter students from bringing drugs to class.

The pilot project, in conjunction with the Edmonton Police Service,
allows high school principals to request random drug searches by Ebony
and her handler.

If the pooch finds drugs in a student's locker or car, the principal
will decide if charges will be laid.

As one might expect, with the canine comes controversy - the students'
rights to privacy are being disregarded.

"The school board is teaching students that their privacy isn't
important - that it can be infringed without any formal process that
involves search warrants and that sort of thing," said Stephen Jenuth
of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association.

Those in Ebony's camp say police and school officials must create a
drug-free zone for students, a safe place for them to grow and learn.

Division spokeswoman Lisa Austin said parents' response to the project
was "extremely positive" when they were consulted through school
councils.

This is not the first time - nor will it be the last - the delicate
balance of privacy and drug laws have teetered so precariously.

Do the rights of the individual outweigh the rights of others to exist
in a safe environment?

In this case, no. Parents have a reasonable expectation their children
are in a safe, drug-free environment when sent off to school every
morning, and educators are doing everything in their power to keep
drugs out of schools. Parents place the well-being of their children
into the hands of teachers and school administrators daily, and they
expect their children to return each day, safe and drug free.

The sad fact is there is a need for drug-sniffing dogs in schools
these days. Parents in denial must pull their heads out of the sand
for a moment and admit, no matter how "good" their children and
schools may be, drug use is rampant among teens - their teens.

Prescription and street drugs are not just the high of choice by
leather-clad, tattooed "losers." The high school quarterback, the
head of the debate team, the quiet girl getting straight As in
physics, the "nerds" in computer club - all these "good" kids are
potential drug users.

And any parent who argues her kid doesn't do drugs, well,
congratulations, your child is in the minority.

You must be doing something right . . . or you're naive.

At least three Timmins families learned the very difficult and painful
lesson their children were involved in drugs. Two of their teens died
because of the indulgence, and another awaits to be tried in relation
to their deaths.

Some closest to these young people said they had no idea they were
involved in illicit and prescription drugs.

Ebony the drug-sniffing pooch will likely help keep drug stashes out
of school lockers (and put them in the students' homes, under the
noses of their unassuming parents) but, like it or not, this effort by
the school board is a necessity.

It may be a hard lesson some teens will learn if caught with dope at
school - but it's a lesson that may save their lives in the long run.

From an editorial in Ontario's Timmins Daily Press