drug testing and teens

peaceloveharmony

hey guys, i'd like to hear what you think about this article i read tonight.

>>Why drug tests flunk
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of drug testing in public schools, will students come clean? Kids at schools in Indiana, where drug tests rule, say no way.

read the rest here... (it's longish..)

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2002/04/22/drug_testing/index.html

i don't think high schools need to spend the money or time on random, mandatory (or "volunteer") drug tests. i get so frustrated when our gov't refuses to listen to the masses (and reason, especially in this case) and jumps on side of the bandaid solution to our problems.

TR

Kids need a loving ass-kicking to keep them in line. This way, drugs won't be a problem. Why? Because.

TR- of the Fred class.

UADNA-WA
Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division

peaceloveharmony

LOL tr :) i am interested in what you really think too. our opinions on certain things are miles apart, this could be a cool discussion i think :) i'm hoping that you'd think there is a better way to keep kids clean than drug testing. am i right?

LB

At our local highschool (60 students total) they do drug testing on the athletes only. The kids who do drugs will be clean for a few weeks to pass the tests, then go back to doing what they love to do.

I'm in favor of drug testing but our school is very short of money and most likely won't be able to continue doing it next year.

Never Squat With Yer Spurs On

TR

Peace,

Seriously,

I think if kids have an involved mom/dad/mentor in their life who cares and spends time with them, drugs aren't as big of a problem. On the other hand, certain people seem to be drawn to society's ugly underbelly. But, if a parent knows where their kids are and what they're doing, if they check out the kids friends and family, it seems to help. It works for me, anyway.

If my kids were on drugs, believe me, I would know it. Drug testing, I believe, is another misguided attempt to help kids who don't have good parents.
TR

UADNA-WA
Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division

Xander

[Soapbox]I'm going to have to recommened mandantory (involuntary)sterilization at birth again. Yup. You need a special permit to have the process undone, and you have to pass a series of tests to prove you are worthy to have kids. And the tests must be taken at yearly intervals.[/Soapbox]

No, seriously though. 90% of "what's wrong with society" (and there really isn't all that much) is people who continue to NOT RAISE THEIR OWN GODDAMN KIDS. It pisses me off to no end.

They aren't artificial plants that you can leave alone and just dust off now and then when you want to impress guests with your 'green thumb'. (No computer games aren't THE PROBLEM, just as TV wasn't THE PROBLEM before then, nor radio or comic books before then - isn't it funny how each and every generation has some "this is what's wrong with todays kids" thing, and it's never the same thing? Wonder why that is....)

Xander F
(Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Ohio order)
A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
--George Santayana

concerned mama

Xander and TR, I agree with both of you. I cannot believe how many parents chose to ignore what their kids are up to because then they are going to have to deal with it. So often I hear "kids will be kids" and "well, I did it and I survived". I have seen some wonderful kids get seriously off track because their parents don't care enough to be parents.

Elsewhere

What a person does on their own time is their own business – unless they are adversely affecting someone else.

If a person is an employee and required to perform at a certain level and behaves in an “unusual” manner that resembles drug use, then yes the employer has the right to test the employee. The employer is after all paying the employee for services.

If the employee is able to perform his duties at the required level, then no drug testing is warranted.

The same applies to students.

"As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
Believe in yourself, not mythology.
<x ><

Mimilly

I knew when my kids were doing drugs. I'd always been observant and involved. First thing I did was get us all into counselling - not just them. Parents who toss their kids into counselling over drugs are completely missing the point.
Testing kids is, I agree, a band-aid, and not worth the money. Kids will always find a way to get around it. And what about the parents? The scariest thing I ran into during the counselling program was the attitudes of alot of these 'parents'. The holier-than-thou-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do approach. Any problem with any person in a family is a family issue.
Drug tests can point a finger, but they definitly will not solve the problem.

"Our lives begin to end,
the day we become silent,
about things that matter"
~~Martin Luther King

Abaddon

Welcome to the land of the free, get your momentoes at rhe gift shop ladies and gentlemen, mandatory urine tests on your right.

Elsewhere says it right.

Someone stoned or high at work is as out of order as someone drunk at work. Same applies to students; high at school is bad.

Outside of that it is a ridiculous to waste time and resources on preventing use that has started. Those efforts, if applied to sensible drug education and policy, will discourage use from ever occuring, or make sure it happens in a socially responsible way.

However, governments love shutting stables doors with resounding bangs, even if there is no horse in there, as it makes it look like they are doing something, even if it's ineffectual.

drug testing and teens

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