INTRUSION OR SENSIBLE MOVE?

Many Factors To Consider In Testing Students For Tobacco Usage

For those who oppose drug testing in schools, the idea that some schools
which test for drugs and alcohol may add tests for tobacco usage is just a
further intrusion into privacy - this time looking to police something that
is not illegal for everyone.

But others support the addition of tobacco to the list of things tested for
when students in some schools undergo drug tests to be eligible for
participation in a number of high school activities.

Experts say tobacco is a gateway drug, the first step for many on the way
to experimentation with other drugs.

And for most high school-age students and those younger, tobacco products
are illegal, just as alcohol is.

That fact inspires part of the argument against adding tobacco to the test
- - it could bar some students from participation in positive activities that
could help to keep them on track in school.

Others argue that the students participating in extracurricular activities
are not likely to be the ones using tobacco, drinking alcohol or using
drugs - that more could be done to prevent smoking, chewing, drinking and
drug-taking if the students not involved in sports, band or other
activities were tested.

It is an argument that makes sense.

But drug testing remains thorny ground where civil rights are concerned.
And requiring students by law to attend school, then requiring them to take
drug tests before allowing them to attend, might never pass muster. It
probably shouldn't, because even students who may be engaging in activities
harmful to them outside school have a right to an education. Keeping them
in school may be one of the ways to keep them from going through a
"gateway" toward something more detrimental.

But extracurricular activities are the bonuses, not the basics. In most
schools students are required to meet certain standards before
participating, whether it be grade point standards or standards of behavior.

Though some people will always disagree, the ability to pass a drug screen
is just another of those standards.