APPLAUDS NEW STUDENT DRUG TESTING POLICIES

Dear Editor:

I am writing to applaud the recent actions taken by both the Marshall
County Board of Education and Albertville Board of Education regarding the
new student drug testing policies.

Dr. Kirkland and Dr. Sparkman are to be commended for demonstrating
leadership on this issue, especially in these fiscally difficult times. I
also wanted to take this opportunity to explain why I believe the actions
of both boards will aid in the education process.

Monitoring the Future, a national survey that tracks drug use among
America's youth, reports that in 2001 more than half of all students had
used illicit drugs by the time they finished high school.

Moreover, the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse revealed that of
the 4.5 million people age 12 and older who need drug treatment, 23 percent
are teenagers.

Research shows that people who make it through their teenage years without
using drugs are much less likely to start using them when they are older.

So if testing can keep kids off drugs and alcohol, if it can help free
young minds for learning and allow growing bodies to escape the devastating
cycle of dependence or addiction, it will be a valuable and important new tool.

The aim of drug testing is not to trap and punish students who use drugs.
It is, in fact, counterproductive to simply punish them without trying to
alter their behavior.

If drug-using students are suspended or expelled without any attempt to
change their ways, the community will be faced with drug-using dropouts, an
even bigger problem in the long run.

The purpose of testing, then, is to prevent drug dependence and to help
drug-dependent students become drug free.

Moreover, the fact that a policy is in place gives young people another
reason to resist the peer pressure to consume alcohol or illegal drugs.

After completing its 18 month effort, the Marshall County Methamphetamine
Task Force included, as part of its overall plan to address the use and
distribution of crystal meth, a recommendation that a comprehensive and
consistent student drug testing program be adopted thoughout all school
systems.

The efforts of both boards of education are major steps toward meeting this
important objective.

Student drug testing alone will not solve the problem of the illegal use of
alcohol and drugs by young adults.

However, parents, educators - indeed, anyone concerned about the welfare of
our young people - should welcome the implementation of these policies.

It is a big step in the right direction, for it gives the respective school
systems a powerful new tool for controlling one of the worst threats facing
kids today.

Steve Marshall

District Attorney

Co-chair, Drug Free Marshall County