Mamabudz

DRUG-TESTING PLAN CONCERNS OFFICIAL
Source: The Ledger | Pubdate: Fri, 20 Feb 2004
Author: Andrew Dunn

School Board Member Questions Why It Should Be Limited To Athletes.

LAKELAND -- Polk County School Board member Brenda Reddout said she has
a number of concerns with a proposal to randomly drug test student athletes.

"There is a risk the district runs," she said. "We know that there are students who use drugs. We know that there are students in extracurricular activities beyond sports that use drugs. If we are going to do a program like this, why isn't it inclusive of all extracurricular activities?"

The policy is in response to a federal grant program that the School District plans to implement this fall. Student athletes at more than a dozen high schools, including one private school, would be randomly tested for recreational drugs.

A similar program was piloted at George Jenkins High School in Lakeland during the 1990s. The program ended during the 19992000 school year because of a lack of funds. Then-Principal David Lauer has said that program was very successful and reduced drug use.

Reddout said the district is assuming that athletes have much more influence on other students than they actually might have. And she said there's no empirical data that shows athletes have any higher drug use than other students.

She also had a concern that the punishments, such as removing a student from a school team, lie solely in the hands of the principal. The policy doesn't allow for further administrative appeal. She said such a punishment can be a much bigger deal than just suspending a student for five or 10 days.

"Being kicked off a team can be a life-altering experience, particularly for those kids who are tracked in such a way that they may actually get scholarship money to go on to higher learning," she said.

The drug-testing policy is not set in stone. Parents and even students still have a chance to voice their opinions on the matter.

"It will be on the agenda for a public hearing in the March 16 meeting," said board chairman Jack English.

Copyright: 2004 The Ledger
Contact: voice@theledger.com

xxdr_zombiexx

"It all started on September 15, 1986, when President Reagan signed Executive Order 12564 in an attempt to establish a drug-free Federal workplace."

Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988

The elimination of marijuana, marijuana use, marijuana advocacy, and as much resistance to unreseanoble search and siezure is SO important that these people have a goal of regular drug testing for the general american population.

Its awesome from crony profiteering AND furthers the war against marijuana, because drug testing was created to harrass pot smokers. They are working on conditioning americans to simply accept this and all sorts of other intrusions.

First DARE and now ever-spreading drug testing, which provides massive profits for the companies who do this testing. These laws make drug testing a growth industry.

And, of course, this is a reason cited by the DEA that they need to ban hemp foods, tokeep people from claiming false positive...and not being totally tuined by the legal consequences they live to shower on people.

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Torture Good, Healthcare Bad, Marijuana Evil.

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

rick

This really simplifies the prohibitionist's mission to a single statement. If they can invade one privacy, why cant they invade another? It's all about protecting the children and most accept that...but where does this logic end? At your office? At the bus stop? In your bathroom?

My children will not be exposed to drug testing.

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Higher Self

What if there was mandatory drug testing for every elected official, at the federal and state level?

Too bad we have not created a way to have voter approved federal initiatives, just like state initiatives, that bypass the legislative houses, that more acurately reflect the will of the people, not special interest.


Does anyone know the reprecussions of drug testing in states that have medical marijuana laws?

Mamabudz

"Does anyone know the reprecussions of drug testing in states that have medical marijuana laws?"

Now there is a good question...

I know that www.NORML.org has a breakdown of all the laws by state, it would be a matter of reviewing the specific states that have MMJ

...have a cookie and be sure to tell us your results if you do it!

Mama Budz