HEALTH CENTRE TESTED UPPER SECONDARY STUDENTS FOR DRUGS IN OSTROBOTHNIA

Youth Organisation And Union Of Students File Complaints With Parliamentary
Ombudsman

Students at the Petolahti upper secondary school located in the communities
of Maalahti and Korsnas were tested for drugs at the Maalahti health centre
in Ostrobothnia two weeks ago. Among the 135 students, eleven over the age
of 18 refused, and three were tested anonymously.

The tests were carried out in order to detect the presence of hashish or
signs of the use of sedatives. All the results came back negative.

This is the first time in Finland that all the students at a school have
been tested for drugs. The local health centre tested, analysed, and
supplied the results as well as covering the costs of about one euro per
student tested. Current legislation bars schools themselves from arranging
drug testing, but permits it to health centres.

The tests were preceded by months of wild rumours that students were using
drugs, says the school's principal Lars Varstala .

Varstala and chief physician Lauri Rantala from the local health centre got
the idea to test the students in order to scotch the rumours. Rantala's
clinic is the only clinic on the Swedish-speaking west coast that
specialises in the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse.

"The school has a connection with students and homes, the health centre has
the expertise and the right to do tests. Nobody was compelled, and the
school itself has not tested anybody", principal Varstala points out.

In connection with an anti-drugs programme at the school, the parents of
underage students were asked for permission to carry out the testing. All
parents agreed.

However, Svensk ungdom (the Youth Organisation of the Swedish People's
Party) and Finlands svenska skolungdomsforbund (the Union of
Swedish-speaking Upper Secondary School Students in Finland) have both
filed official complaints on the tests to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. They
want the office to investigate whether the tests were legal.

Finlands svenska skolungdomsforbund regards the tests as illegal. A
spokesman for the union believes that drug tests ruin the atmosphere at
school and prompt an atmosphere of fear.

The Svensk ungdom organisation has said that there would be more support
for such testing if there were ready treatment programmes in hand for those
showing positive test results. They emphasise that they do not wish to
criticise the Petolahti school, but want to get a formal statement from the
Parliamentary Ombudsman.

The drug test has provoked heated discussions in many other associations
and organisations. Many have contacted the principal of the school and
thanked him for taking the first step.

According to Lars Varstala, the school will continue testing unless the
Parliamentary Ombudsman orders a ban.

The school is involved in 12 free-time projects, five of them including a
trip abroad. Any student can participate in the projects, but only those
with a clean drug "passport" will be able to join the trips. This is seen
as a kind of gentle pressure on students to take the tests.

According to the student association of the Petolahti school, only 26 out
of the 124 students tested were against the tests. On the other hand, 89
students believed that the drug test showed that the school and society
were not indifferent towards their welfare. They also insist that the test
did not spoil the good atmosphere at their school.

Previously in HS International Edition:

One in three 15-year-olds offered drugs in Helsinki (4.1.2000)

Number of drug-related crimes on decline, demand for substances remains
unchanged (17.2.2003)

Hundreds of companies test employees for drug use (26.10.2002)

Working group finds drug tests unreliable (15.11.2001)