SCHOOL DRUG-TESTING POLICY SHOULD BE DECIDED LOCALLY

Graham Boyd, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Drug Policy
Litigation Project, reacted with "the sky is falling" predictions last
month after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld drug testing for students
participating in extracurricular activities.

Boyd said he fears the ruling will allow government to demand DNA, medical
records and financial information "for an entire generation of students."

Calm down.

The court's ruling, the second since 1995 declaring drug tests for students
in extracurricular activities is constitutional, will not result in a big
brother government. Rather, local school districts now have the authority
to determine how prevalent drug use is among their student body.

The court's decision stemmed from a drug-testing policy in Tecumseh, Okla.
School officials have indicated the policy will be reinstated, but larger
school districts in the same state have no plans to adopt a drug-testing
policy.

This is what the court's ruling provides - the ability for local school
districts and communities to decide school policy.

"People at the local level are often the ones that best understand the
nature and depth of the drug problems facing their neighborhoods," said
John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy.

On an issue as important as student drug use, local control is preferable
to the misconstrued perception of government power.