DRUG TESTING IS GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

Drug testing in the schools is not going too far, it is going in the wrong
direction.

Why is it, when we want more money for education, the response is, "You
can't solve problems just by throwing money at them"? But when the subject
is drugs, throwing money is the first response.

Drug testing in schools will be incredibly expensive. When the first test
is positive, how will you know it is valid? All testing systems have false
positives. When you hold that kid up to public ridicule as a drug user, you
know there will be a lawsuit. A lot of lawsuits.

City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle says he can maintain confidentiality. In
this town?

When you catch students, what can you do? Arrest them? It is not illegal to
have used drugs. Refer them for treatment? That, too, is expensive. There
are nowhere near enough competent drug treatment programs as it is; and it
will have to be at school expense. Anyone remember the Felix case? There
will undoubtedly be another lawsuit.

When papa creams the kid because his parenting skills are so excellent,
will you arrest him for child abuse? More court cases. Will you expel the
students with dirty tests? Few of those want to be in school anyway. And
put them where? State law requires they be in a program. Another lawsuit.

What message will we be sending our kids? This one: We will spend gobs of
money on something that is ineffective but makes us look like we oppose
drugs. But give you a quality education system? No, that's too expensive.

Rev. Mike Young

Minister, First Unitarian Church