Marijuana.com

Buzzby

Critics Say Random Tests Are Invasive, Ineffective
Maureen Magee | Union-Tribune | 02/22/2006

White House officials are in San Diego today to promote new high-stakes testing in the nation's schools. Although these test scores won't gauge anything academic, the results could affect students who want to join everything from the basketball team to the band.

Included in President Bush's proposed 2007 budget released this month is $15 million set aside for random student drug testing, similar to screening recently started in two local districts. Schools that accept the federal funds would make unannounced toxicology screenings a condition for participation in a range of clubs and teams.

Government officials said the confidential tests are not designed to catch and punish teen drug users, rather they are meant to serve as a tool to help prevent drug use and identify those who need help battling a potential lifetime of addiction.

Critics say the program is costly, ineffective and invasive. Some worry the drug tests could deter students from joining the extracurricular activities they need to stay interested in school.

Today, officials from the Office of National Drug Control Policy are scheduled to hold a summit on the program for educators and parents. It is the second stop in a national tour to encourage schools to apply for federal grants that would administer drug tests to students who participate in competitive extracurricular programs, such as choir, Future Farmers of America and the football team.

The impetus for the program was a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2002 upholding an Oklahoma school district's policy that called for random drug testing of students who participate in a range of extracurricular activities. The court ruled 5-4 that widespread drug testing – beyond members of school athletic teams – does not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches.

Shortly after the ruling, the Bush administration's drug czar issued a document for public schools that touts the benefits of drug testing and largely dismisses critics' concerns that the screenings would chip away at students' civil liberties.

David Murray, special assistant to John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, likened the drug screenings to routine and long-standing school programs to detect lice or test for tuberculosis.

“We have a public health threat and this is a deterrent, it's also an intervention mechanism,” Murray said. “We are looking for early warning signs of a problem. We are not doing this or offering it with the intent that there would be any action taken against the students – not expulsion.”

The test results would remain confidential upon graduation and would not be sent to law enforcement authorities. By contrast, drugs and other contraband sniffed out by specially trained canines already brought on some campuses can result in severe disciplinary measures, including expulsion.

The $15 million allocated for drug-testing represents a fraction of the funds the federal government devotes to overall drug-education and intervention programs. Critics believe the newest program is politically motivated, citing a recent decline in teenage drug use coupled with an abundance of anti-drug programs that address the problem.

More and more schools and districts across the country have adopted drug-testing programs since the high court ruling. The federal program is deliberately vague, leaving the details of how the policy is implemented to local districts.

Just last week, the Vista Unified School District authorized random drug testing for more than 3,200 students involved in extracurricular activities. The program is funded with a $211,000 federal grant.

The first and second time Vista students test positive for drugs, they will be referred to counseling at their family's expense. A third failure would result in suspension from the extracurricular activity for the rest of the school year.

Late last year, the Oceanside Unified School District implemented a similar program paid for with a $180,000 federal grant. The urine tests are designed to detect the presence of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, steroids and alcohol.

Research on the success or failure of such programs has been limited. Government officials and critics alike point to a handful of studies and success stories offered by individual districts.

But the Bush administration overlooks potential problems with drug testing, said Margaret Dooley, outreach coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates drug policy reforms.

“These programs are invasive and do nothing to build trust between students and school (administrators),” said Dooley, who recommends drug-counseling and prevention programs instead of testing. “What we are doing is teaching our students what it's like to live in a police state.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Education Association and the ACLU all oppose drug testing as a condition to participate in activities.

Drug-testing programs should be studied for both positive and negative impacts before the government advocates them, said Howard Taras, professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego.

“There may be some good that comes from testing, it may deter kids from getting heavily into drugs,” said Taras, a physician and chief medical adviser to the San Diego Unified District. “There could also be some potential bad. It may deter kids who dabble in drugs from getting involved in activities they really need. Students who test positive may even get abused at home. It may make a bad situation at home worse.”

More than 125 people have registered to participate in today's summit at the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley.

Among them will be a representative from San Diego Unified. But so far there are no plans to implement such a program in the state's second-largest district, Superintendent Carl Cohn said.

“Whenever we are talking about student safety, we want to explore every avenue. But this is the type of program you would want to look at in the context of parents, teachers and school principals and students discussing it,” Cohn said. “I don't see a districtwide policy. What I could see is a pilot at an interested school where we would watch for results.”

San Diego County has become something of a flash point in the nation's decades-old War on Drugs.

In December, federal agents raided the 13 medical marijuana dispensaries legally operating in the county under state law, seizing not just marijuana but patient records. The sweep angered activists, especially since no arrests were made and no criminal charges have been filed.

Last month, after a 3-2 vote by the Board of Supervisors, the county sued the state over a law requiring counties to issue identification cards to qualified medical marijuana patients.

That decision was hailed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the same agency sponsoring the drug-testing seminar scheduled today.

__________________

 

dedbr

all the times I've pee-peed in a cup.... and realized that I've refused more than I've given.... But that's still a lot of pee..

I wonder how much longer the government is going to alienate it's own people with this. When will the time come when we will be unafraid of police officer's because of the herb?

The piss boy's ride again..... Ded

__________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Abraham Lincoln
Happy New Year.......