PotShot

Drug tests become more common in high schools
Beth Campus | Newslink Indiana | 03/25/2006

DALEVILLE, Ind. (NLI) - College is no longer the only place athletes get drug tested. High schools in Indiana are now random drug testing their athletes.

"I think it should have been implemented years ago because the city I've come from Fort Wayne, I know where athletes have used prior to games," said Assistant Basketball Coach Aston Chambers.

Some coaches and administrators said that all high schools should take advantage of the random drug testing. Schools should make the test even more random than they are now, Chambers said.

"With the substances that people are using now even with steroids, I consider that should be part of drug testing because they can get it out of their system at a certain period in time, if you do mandatory drug testing they know when it is," said Chambers.

Daleville High School Athletics Director Chris Walker said that some students don't do drugs because of they don't know if their name will be pulled.

"We have really good students here, but I do think it's helped keep a few off drugs," Walker said.

"I think they do take head to it because we have some very good athletes who want to pursue their careers in athletes so they know what those type of suspensions will hold," Chambers said.

Some of those suspensions can kick the kids off indefinitely from an athletic team. However, the minimum and first offense is a 30 day suspension from the sports team.

Anderson High School is taking random drug testing to another level by testing all students in extra-curricular activities.

"Any students that are involved in extra-curricular activities can be subject to a random drug test," Anderson High School Athletic Director Steve Schindler said.

He agrees with Walker when he says that the testing has helped or "scared" kids to stay off drugs.

"They know in the back of their minds their name could be called to have to submit to this," Schindler said.

The Bush Administration is proposing to put more money in the budget towards random drug testing.

Some of the drugs tested in high school drug testing include marijuana, cocaine and steroids.

__________________

Carl Sagan Goodness Richard Dawkins Goodness