SCHOOL DISTRICT, POLICE SELLING DRUG-TEST KITS

DAVISON, Mich. (AP) -- The school district and area police departments have
sold 43 drug-testing kits in what officials say is a well-received start to
a program to test children for drug and alcohol use.

"That's a pretty significant number that shows there's an obvious demand,
even if some are sold but not used for anything other than a preventative
measure," Davison School District Superintendent Clay Perkins told The Flint
Journal for a recent story. "If we do a good job of reminding parents that
these are available, I imagine over time there will be a steady demand."

The kits, which range in price from $3 to $12, can use saliva or urine
samples to detect the presence of illicit substances or their byproducts.

The Davison area is among 25 communities in Michigan that sell the kits.
Davison High School registered the most sales, 19, followed by police
departments in Davison and Davison Township with 12 each.

Officials said selling the kits through schools offers a
less-confrontational way for parents who think their child might have a drug
problem.

"It can make it easier, but if you have a parent whose kid has been busted
and is in trouble, they don't care where they have to go to get some," said
Dave Prichard, owner of TDS Inc., the Livonia company that supplies the
kits.

Macomb County's Chesterfield Township sold about a dozen kits in its first
two weeks, while Lansing moved 120 in its first day through heavy publicity.

Davison Police Chief Bill Brandon said the response has been positive from
residents and other local police departments have asked about the program.

"Several police chiefs want to know about this, and I've been pleasantly
surprised with how popular it is," Brandon said. "I didn't know what to
expect when we started."

Dave Whalen of Davison doesn't expect to buy a kit but said having it
available could act as a pre-emptive way to curb drug use.

"It's got to be some sort of deterrent. Just having them there can be like
having a dog come into school to sniff for drugs," Whalen said.