Finney High School in Detroit, Michigan, will start random drug testing on its students this fall. A three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education is making the program possible.

"Three types of students will be tested: those who volunteer and have their parents' permission, those in athletic programs and those who participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities."

The program will test for marijuana, heroin, prescription drugs, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Students who test positive won't be punished, but their parents will be notified. Source: The Detroit News

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Labels: drug_testing, schools

Not everyone agrees that random drug testing in schools is a good idea. A recent editorial in the Gloversville, New York Leader-Herald calls for school administrators to find more creative, effective drug prevention solutions.

"Among the opponents of random student drug testing is the American Academy of Pediatrics, which stated it 'believes more research is needed on both the safety and effectiveness before testing programs are implemented. Laboratory testing for drugs is a scientifically complex procedure, which may be prone to both false-positive and false-negative tests...'"

Awareness training for teachers, curriculum that includes drug-prevention and more parental involvement were some of the offered alternatives.

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Labels: drug_testing, prevention, schools

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_screening, drug_testing