Random drug testing in high schools may cause a slight short-term reduction in drug abuse among students, but it has no long-range impact, according to a new report from the Department of Education.
- Researchers studied 36 high schools.
- In half the schools, students underwent random drug testing; students were not tested in the other schools.
- Random testing reduced drug use from 22% to 17% among students enrolled in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
- However, the tests had no impact on other students, and no impact on their plans to use drugs in the future.
Thirty-six percent of students reported using drugs in the past month, and 33% said they would "probably" or "definitely" use drugs in the future.
The implication of this study is that random drug testing is not an effective means of reducing student drug use.
Labels: schools, students, drug testing
Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse