Is This the Answer to Drug Use?

[anonshadow]

Link.

A brief article from the New York Times about random drug testing of middle school and high school students.

[Hegemon]

Without reading the article I can safely say the answer is a firm no.

I say you test every single one of them, at least twice a week. Teens shouldn't be allowed to pee without it being used to test their body for drugs!!!

[daPyr0x]

See, the worst part of this is that there's noone to fight against it. The kids can't - they're teenagers with no real say in a whole lot of things, including this. And the parents are going to be "oh yes yes yes little johnny must be tested for marijuana use because he's not allowed to do that"

What is wrong with generation X? I mean, okay, I understand where they're coming from. I also understand where the music companies are coming from in putting crippling copy protection on their discs. But why does everyone suddenly assume treating everyone like criminals is going to fix society's problems?

Personally I would fight tooth and nail against that kind of bullshit. You don't teach someone about something by hiding it from them, they'll get exposed sooner or later. You teach someone about it by talking to them about it and being open and letting them learn. No, I don't want my kids to be alcoholics, pot smokers, coke heads, or anything else of the sort. But rather than be like "nope, these problems don't exist, I'm going to shelter you from all of the worlds problems so you never get exposed to them because your'e too stupid to learn yourself", I'd rather sit them down and tell them what alcohol is, tell them about getting drunk, be honest with them, tell them about addiction and about the mistakes that can be made under intoxication, and let them actually learn

People are f****** stupid. If I was a parent of a child in a school like that I'd give my kid a note exempting him from such testing.

[jotabe]

But why does everyone suddenly assume treating everyone like criminals is going to fix society's problems?

Not everyone. They are not normal people. They are high-schooler teenagers. Of course they should be treated like criminals!

[lovesonia]

Guilty until proven innocent and all that, right? No, I don't think that helps or solves anything. I think kids should be taught from an early age. About everything. Try to prepare them as best you can about the things they'll face later down the line. No good can come of sheltering them. As difficult as it is at times, I think honesty is key. Granted, make it age-appropriate. I wouldn't tell a 5 year old the horrors of addiction or domestic abuse, for example, but I think explaining that such things do exist and explaining it in a way that they can comprehend is important.

I say this because my mom didn't make any bones about teaching me about life. Our family, her own, as well as world events that occurred and I was concerned about. She was very honest in telling me about anything I asked her, in a manner she felt was age-appropriate. Granted, I'm not perfect, -who is?- but I do my best to be what I consider a good human being. I can only hope that I have the courage to be as honest with my kids when they're wanting to know things as my mom was with me. I hope that they trust me enough to come to me with any questions or concerns they may have because I would rather they find out from someone with their best interest in mind than society that, as a whole, isn't affected by what happens to them.

I don't think the states that allow the death penalty dissuade the majority of people from committing crimes for which they could be put to death. Same goes for illegal activities. Just because it's illegal, can irreparably damage their lives (not to mention their family and friends') and/or livelihood doesn't mean people aren't going to do them. Some people search things out because they find pulling a fast one on the government or other authority figures to be thrilling, due to the danger involved. That's just how it goes. The thing we can do without an invasion of privacy like what these schools are doing and/or proposing to do is to teach the young people what they need to know and hope they choose the option that causes the least damage to themselves, their loved ones and their community.

I'm not even close to being the most eloquent speaker here so do forgive me for anything I've said that isn't clear. You are, of course, also welcome to ask for clarification, if you feel so inclined. I might not be able to make myself understood but I shall try nonetheless, if I am asked. Or ignore me entirely, if that's what you want to do. I just felt like throwing in my two cents. I look forward to reading what the rest of you have to say about the topic. It's most definitely a topic to keep an eye on so thanks to you, anonshadow, for posting about it.

[Guest]

You know, even as a person who advocates the decriminalization of recreational drugs (at the very least), I'm not going to "fight" against drug testing minors. While I believe that it's the parents choice, the fundemental question being asked is "can/should we test kids for drugs?" and the answer is "yes." Whether or not it will have a quantifiable impact is uncertain; however, kids shouldn't be taking any recreational drugs anyways.

[anonshadow]

For those of you who are anti-drug testing: out of curiousity, at least where sports teams are concerned, why is it okay to test pro-players for drugs and steroids, but it's not okay to test high school players?

[Rei]

My gut reaction to that one is that high schoolers aren't getting paid loads -- or, in fact, anything -- for their abilities. There is no fame or fortune to high school sports.

[hive_king]

Why does it matter what they get paid? It still has a negative impact on the sport.

[daPyr0x]

For those of you who are anti-drug testing: out of curiousity, at least where sports teams are concerned, why is it okay to test pro-players for drugs and steroids, but it's not okay to test high school players?

Because they're not being tested for how they spend their free time. Nobody cares if they smoke pot or booze it up; we all know they do. Big f****** whoop. They're being tested on performance enhancing drugs that do negatively impact the sport because it's no longer based upon their natural gifts and the quality of their training; but on something a drug induced into them. Searching their person for paraphenlia, or punishing them for letting their recreational use impact their career life is one thing; testing them for whether or not they get high in their free time is a totally different subject.

If you wanna test high school athletes for steroids and performance enhancers, more power to you.

[Rei]

Why does it matter what they get paid? It still has a negative impact on the sport.

I didn't mean that it didn't matter. I was just intending to say that there is a difference between high school sports and professional sports and that in one place there is a much bigger impact, which is why it would be more important to do drug tests in the one than the other. That doesn't mean one shouldn't do drug tests in high school, just that they should for sure do them at the professional level.

[NWS]

Uh, we were tested for drugs before being allowed to participate in sports in high school. I didn't know that wasn't the norm.

[anonshadow]

The biggest issue I see with this is that it means releasing certain bits of your medical history involuntarily. I'm not half as concerned about the idea of "invading a kid's privacy" to see if they're using illegal substances as I am with the fact that some of those substances can be legal in certain situations.

Alcohol, for example, is perfectly legal in many states if you are drinking it for religious reasons or under your parents' supervision. Drugs taken for medical reasons would likely show up (they'd have to, because they can be taken illegally). That, to me, is a much bigger issue than testing kids who play sports and do other extracurriculars.

[Craig]

Why does it matter what they get paid? It still has a negative impact on the sport.

I didn't mean that it didn't matter. I was just intending to say that there is a difference between high school sports and professional sports and that in one place there is a much bigger impact, which is why it would be more important to do drug tests in the one than the other. That doesn't mean one shouldn't do drug tests in high school, just that they should for sure do them at the professional level.

Exactly. Professional athletes need to be held at a higher standard because they are role models for such a large percentage of kids around the world. While the sport can be hurt by drug scandals, as baseball recently, perception is more important. People do anything they can to be more like their role models, kids wear athletes jerseys, their shoes, even dress like them. In more extreme cases people have surgery to look like their role models. Limiting the negative aspects is a good thing for pro sports. But high school? Are you kidding me? These are kids. It's the parents job to raise them, not societies.

Salaam