SOUND REASONS TO OPPOSE DRUG TESTS

The Nov. 9 story on a pending U.S. Supreme Court case regarding drug
testing mentioned that local schools could be impacted by the decision. The
U.S. Supreme Court will review an Oregon school district's drug testing
policy on constitutional grounds, but there are practical reasons to oppose
the invasive policy as well.

Student involvement in extracurricular activities has been shown to reduce
drug use. Forcing students to undergo degrading drug tests as a
prerequisite will only discourage extracurricular activity. It may also
compel users of relatively harmless marijuana to switch to harder drugs to
avoid testing positive.

Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the
human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic
metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for weeks. Synthetic drugs like
meth and OxyContin are water-soluble and exit the human body within a few days.

Why is this relevant? Because the growing use of Ecstasy is in part a
result of drug testing. A student who takes Ecstasy on Friday night will
likely test clean on Monday morning. Ironically, the least dangerous
recreational drug (marijuana) is the only one whose use is discouraged by
testing.

Finally, I point out that the most commonly abused drug and the one most
often associated with violent behavior is almost impossible to detect with
urinalysis. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more student lives every
year than all other drugs combined.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A. Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation Washington, D.C.