OUR VIEW

Wow.

Random drug testing for students?

Have we come to this?

Maybe.

The U.S. Supreme Court apparently believes random drug testing for students
involved in extra-curricular activities is OK.

During arguments Tuesday, a number of the justices seemed to be in
agreement that such testing was not an infringement of civil liberties.
They found some logic in the case stated by an attorney for an Oklahoma
school district, which contended that random testing is a reasonable
response to the problem of drug use among young people.

Frankly, it shocks our sensibilities that our children - and that's what
they are, folks, until they turn 18 - need to be tested for drugs.

Such is the pervasiveness of the drug culture spawned in the '60s and
freely fertilized by a more permissive society since then.

A generation ago, testing for drugs amounted to a coach cruising the
streets late at night to see if any of the basketball team was drinking
beer. If someone was caught, he was done for the season. It was not quite a
"scarlet letter" on his forehead, but it was close.

Today, testing for drugs among high school athletes and students in other
activities still has not become widespread, even though the high court has
ruled that schools may indeed conduct such tests with probable cause. The
present case takes testing a step further. The Oklahoma school wants the
right to test randomly, and not just on the basis of suspicion of drug use.

As troubling as this case is, we must side with the school district. It has
become painfully obvious that drug use is a significant problem, even in
rural areas. Random drug testing can act as a deterrent.

Unfortunately, the common test for drugs won't flag the drug which is the
biggest problem among students - alcohol. That's a huge problem that
remains largely unaddressed.