Tammy East has a son in junior high, and she thinks the random drug testing that he and other students will be subjected to throughout the year is good. She only has one objection:

"I think they should have drug testing for everyone, not just those in sports or other extracurricular activities..."

The drug testing policy, which has been in place at the high school level since the 1997-98 school year, has previously applied only to athletes. This year, however, testing will be expanded to include all students involved in all extracurricular activities in both junior and senior high. Source: Peoria (IL) Journal Star

Labels: students, drug_testing, drug_screening

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Sharon Levy, MD and medical director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Children's Hospital in Boston is one of many in the medical community who feel that better drug screening methods are needed to adequately determine if a teen is using drugs.

"'OxyContin use, for example, which is just about an epidemic here in Boston, is not detected on those screenings. Neither is ecstasy, and many tests don't detect alcohol... If a kid is using one of these, the drug test will be negative.'"

Add to that the fact that most substances only stay in the system for 24 to 72 hours, and random drug screening becomes a very hit-or-miss method for identifying kids who might have substance abuse issues. Read more at News.Nurse.com.

Labels: drug_testing, drug_screening

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