DRUG TESTING WON'T HELP

Random drug testing of student athletes in Fayette County schools is a
misguided policy.

As Herald-Leader reporter Lisa Deffendall noted in her Nov. 9 article, some
students would rather quit athletics than submit to drug testing. Yet the
school board, according to Deffendall, also has encouraged the testing of
all students in extracurricular activities. Why would we want to isolate
the kids who truly need help?

It is true that occasional users may quit using drugs rather than drop
extracurricular activities. But the habitual users -- those who really need
help -- will just drop those extracurricular activities. Which is worse: a
kid who smokes pot and participates in a lot of activities or a kid who
just smokes pot?

W. Jay Christian

Lexington