Drug

DRUG-TESTING As long as people are doing whatever they are doing on their own time in their private life I don’t see how industry can invade their privacy and fire them from their job. If they are tanked on the job, fine, out the door. Along with the separation of Church and State there should also be separation of public life and private life. This is true hypocracy, only people who have never done drugs think drugs are bad. its those who cant handle them that make drug users look bad. He's an adult, he isn't hurting any one, he isn't offering children drugs, I'm unable to find any information that he was driving. So who cares? If you find one that gets caught dealing to kids or smoking a spliff in the boy's restroom then fire him, otherwise just leave the guy alone. By requiring tobacco testing, and removing students from teams and clubs who consistently test positive, the schools would generate three avenues to reduce smoke exposure for nonsmokers. First, the school would reduce the chances of exposure to second hand smoke between club and team members. Second, nonsmoking students would not face peer pressure to start smoking while participating in extracurricular activities or student athletics. Finally, the school would also provide a disincentive for nonsmokers to become smokers. Q. Why conduct random drug tests? A. Random Student Drug Testing is foremost a prevention program. It creates a culture of disapproval toward drugs in the communities where it is employed. It achieves several public health goals: 1) it deters adolescents from initiating drug use; 2) it gives adolescents a reason to resist peer pressure to use drugs; 3) it identifies adolescents who have started using drugs so that parents and counselors can intervene early; and, 4) it helps identify adolescents who have developed a drug dependency, so they can be referred to treatment providers. Q. What are the benefits of drug testing? A. Drug use can turn to abuse and then to addiction, trapping users in a vicious cycle that ruins lives and destroys families. Drug testing has been shown to be an effective tool in preventing student drug use. The expectation that they may be randomly tested is enough to make some students stop using drugs—or never start in the first place. Drug testing is also an excellent tool for getting students who won't or can't stop the help they need to stop. Students who use drugs are statistically more likely to drop out of school, bring guns and knives to school, and be involved in physical attacks, property destruction, stealing, and cutting classes (SAMHSA, 2004). Drug abuse not only interferes with a student's ability to learn, it also disrupts the orderly environment necessary for all students to succeed. Obviously, reducing the likelihood of these disruptive behaviors benefits everyone involved in the educational institution. Q. Has drug testing worked in other sectors of society? A. Many of our Nation's businesses and institutions have implemented successful n drug testing programs, including the Federal government. Since the U.S. Military began drug testing in the early 1980s, drug use among servicemen and servicewomen has plunged from 27 percent to less than 3 percent. When the

Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented a mandatory drug-free workplace initiative in the interest of public safety, drug use in the transportation industry also declined. The DOT model has been implemented in many non-regulated industries as well, each of which also saw a decrease in drug use. Because of this, many Fortune 500 companies employ drug testing programs because they know it makes their workplaces safer and more productive. Every American who steps on an airplane or sends their kids out to the school bus in the morning rests easier knowing that pilots and bus drivers are drug tested. Drug testing saves lives. We can no longer withhold the proven benefits of drug testing from the members of society that are most vulnerable to drugs' destructive influence.

Q. Does the Federal government mandate student drug testing? A. No. The administration recognizes drug testing as one tool that local schools can decide to use as a component of a broad drug prevention effort. Each school or school district that wants to start a program needs to involve the entire community in determining whether student drug testing is right for their specific situation. Q. How should a school determine it has a need for student drug testing? A. Communities first need to explore their adolescent drug problems. This becomes the basis of developing a consensus for student drug testing. Such a need can be generated by surveys of student drug-use, reports by teachers other school staff, coaches, parents and community members, as well as the discovery of drug paraphernalia and drug residues at school. Q. If a school wants to start a drug testing program, how can the program be funded? A. Many schools already receive federal money from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program run through the Department of Education. Student drug testing programs have been congressionally authorized as an acceptable use of Safe and Drug-Free Schools money. Some schools have been successful at receiving both financial and technical support from local charitable foundations, law enforcement, or health professionals. For example, high schools in Calabasas, California have their drug tests performed free of charge by the local hospital. T he cost of a drug test is minimal compared with the cost of athletic equipment purchased to keep a student safe from physical injury, and much less than the cost of drug-induced accidents or other consequences. Q. How can schools determine if there is a need for a drug testing program? A. Communities first need to explore their drug problems. This becomes the basis of developing a consensus for student drug testing. Schools must first determine whether there is a need for testing. Such a need can be determined from student drug-use surveys, reports by teachers and other school staff about student drug use, reports about drug use from parents and others in the community, and from discoveries of drug paraphernalia, drugs, or residues at school. Q. Who should be involved in the decision-making process of implementing a student drug testing program?

A. The decision of whether to implement a drug-testing program should involve parents, schools, and the local community. It should not be the decision of one individual, or even limited to a school board. Schools considering testing will want public support from community members who are interested in reducing student drug use. Early in their deliberations, schools should also consult with an attorney familiar with laws regarding student drug testing. By making the effort to include everyone in the process, a school can greatly increase the likelihood of adopting a successful testing program. Q. Is student drug testing a stand-alone solution, or do schools need other programs to prevent and reduce drug use? A. Drug testing should never be undertaken as a stand-alone response to the drug problem. Rather, it should be a component of broader prevention, intervention and treatment programs, with the common goal of reducing students' use of illegal drugs. Q. If a student tests positive for drugs, should that student face disciplinary consequences? A. The primary purpose of drug testing is not to punish students who use drugs but to prevent drug dependence and to help drug-dependent students become drug-free. The results of a positive drug test should be used to intervene with students who are not yet dependent, through counseling and follow-up testing. For students that are diagnosed with addiction, parents and a school administrator can refer them to effective drug treatment programs, to begin the recovery process. Q. When a student tests positive, are schools responsible for paying for drug treatment? A. No. The drug test can be viewed in the same way as school-based screening for visual impairment or for scoliosis. However, well-crafted drug testing programs will incorporate qualified health and drug treatment professionals to aid in assessing students who test positive. Some parents may be unable to accept their child's use, or not know how to help their child. It is important that schools have reference guides and referrals available to help educate parents on the problem and help them choose how to intervene or how to get their child needed professional treatment. Q. Is drug testing a violation of an adolescent's privacy rights? A. This objection usually stems from a misunderstanding of the purpose of student drug testing. Foremost, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that student drug testing can be done, but must be done confidentially. Schools have a responsibility to respect students' privacy, so it is vital that only the people who need to know the test results see those— parents and a school administrator, for example. The results should not be shared with anyone else, not even teachers. The purpose is not to expose and punish children for drug use, but to deter use, intervene early with those who have just begun to use, and to provide professional help to those who have become dependent. An appropriate comparison is screening for other public health problems. Most parents and students are not concerned about privacy rights when schools require tests for infectious diseases. When concerned citizens realize drug dependence is a disease of the brain that spreads through non-addictive users, their privacy objections usually dissipate.

Q. What testing methods are available? A. There are several testing methods available including urine, hair, oral fluids, and sweat (patch). These methods vary in cost, reliability, drugs detected, and detection period. Schools should determine their needs and choose the method that best suits their requirements, as long as the testing kits are from a reliable source.

Magus: A master magician; one who has truly mastered the Art.