DRUG TESTS, WHILE COSTLY, HOLD GREAT DEAL OF VALUE

High-school athletes are some of the most respected and well-known
students. They are role models who have chosen the spotlight.
However, an amazingly high percentage of them abuse drugs. I believe
administrators have an obligation to their student body, athletes and
non-athletes alike, and the community to crack down on this problem.
Because of the high rate of drug use among high-school athletes,
there needs to be a random drug-testing process, which will benefit
these students in the future.

Abusing drugs not only can affect a student through suspension or
expulsion, impaired athletic performance and problems in their
futures, but it can also affect others. Student athletes can
unintentionally pressure their peers or affect their teams by risking
confiscation of awards.

But these are not the only problems. What these athletes are doing is
illegal. They also sign an athletic code agreeing not to abuse
illegal drugs.

On June 26, 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that middle-school and
high-school athletes could be tested, whether suspicious or not, at
the discretion of school administrators.

Drug testing is necessary and beneficial. It has been proved to
decrease usage among students, increase awareness and decrease
problems later in life.

However, testing costs $80 to $120 per person, so drug-testing high-
school athletes should be on a random basis.

I encourage everyone to take a stand and promote random drug-testing
for high-school athletes.

Amy Leone

Upper Arlington

Editor's note: This letter was signed by seven other people.