STUDENT DRUG TESTING JUST ANOTHER BAD IDEA

It never ceases to amaze me how government's insatiable hunger for power is
only eclipsed by our timid public's suicidal need to satisfy it. This we do
by feeding the state a steady diet of our rights. The latest right on the
menu is that against self-incrimination.

I don't as a rule object to private employers or schools conducting random
drug testing. Entry into those institutions is voluntary. The governed,
however, do not have the same prerogative with respect to the state. This is
doubly true concerning public education, where participation is coerced by
the state.

It doesn't matter how many drug tests a student takes in school, if the
parents are apathetic, or possibly even abusers themselves, the exercise is
pointless.

A less costly, more efficient alternative is to get drug-testing kits into
the hands of those parents caring enough to want to use them. These could be
subsidized in the form of a tax credit or discount.

I would suggest that if the government is hell-bent on squandering our
treasure on intrusive technologies, it should consider this more
constitutional and intelligent approach.

Clyde Hudson

Wai'anae