Troubled Teens Resources

Teen who dislike random drug testing won’t like this gadget. Those teenagers who have become experts in skewing their drug testing results will particularly be dismayed by this device, as well as the reckless teenagers who think it’s a blast to drive around half drunk or stoned.

In fact, if these become widely used, teen age drug abuse will have suffered a blow. Chalk one up for the good guys. It’s presently in use in Australia, but if it’s as effective as it appears to be, it won’t be long before they are in use everywhere.

“The world’s first roadside drug screening unit took just 15 minutes to claim a scalp yesterday after police set up their new drug-testing bus at Yarraville.

The fourth driver stopped and tested by the 12-strong unit returned a positive saliva test for methamphetamines. His second sample also tested positive.
[…]
The saliva test can detect speed, marijuana and some party drugs that contain traces of amphetamines.

The test unit is operating on a 12-month trial and will expand its activities as police become more familiar with the methods and technology.

It will operate every day this week around Melbourne and in the new year will be extended to rural areas, as well as targeting dance parties and raves.

In recent weeks police had warned they would also target the long-distance trucking industry - long associated with rumours of amphetamine use.”
(source)

One type of teen crisis intervention that continues to be hotly debated is random drug testing conducted in our nation’s schools. Even parents who are well aware of the dangers that teen drug abuse represents for their teenagers are concerned about, not only civil rights issues, but the continued intrusion into the family by the state through the schools.

“Joe Newcomb, founder of Drug-Free Clubs of America, has seen many things in his lifelong career as a Cincinnati firefighter.

But the worst of all is seeing the lifeless body of a young person who has overdosed, he said at an information meeting for parents Sept. 12 at Edgewood High School.

Randomly drug testing high school students is just the latest — and perhaps most controversial — in a long line of steps to curb teen drug use at Edgewood High School.

Just two weeks from the first round of random drug testing, debate on online communities in Trenton, such as trentontalk.com, have generated several pages worth of discussion on random drug testing.”

(source)

In the case of this Ohio community, the schools only intend to test those kids who are enrolled in extracurricular activities, though some towns have pondered random testing across the entire student population.

There are many questions that need to be sorted out and time will tell if drug testing is a good deterrent or if determined teen drug users will find a way around it.

Teens at risk for drug abuse, those teens who have not strayed too far over the line, those at the brink of temptation - those are the teens that some professionals insist will benefit most from random drug testing in school.

Of all the methods of teen crisis intervention being employed by schools across the country, this one raises the most controversy, with experts weighing in on both sides. As usual, parents are likely to get short shift in this debate as public schools and the government continue to usurp parental authority.

“I think that what is being presented is seductive,” says Sharon Levy, director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Children’s Hospital Boston. However, she believes the ONDCP overstates the effectiveness of drug testing, and she is not alone. A 2005 survey of 359 US physicians specialising in paediatric, adolescent and family medicine, found that 80 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the ONDCP’s recommendation that all adolescent students be tested for drugs. John Knight, also of Children’s Hospital Boston, says there are only two peer-reviewed articles. “One showed essentially no correlation between testing and drug use rates, the other showed a slight decline,” he says.”

(Source)

Proponents of random drug testing claim it gives the at-risk teen added support for “saying no”. Some experts report improved grades and attendance for those schools implementing tests.

With more reports stating that “the evidence in favour of drug testing was “remarkably thin”, and that it may be “potentially damaging” to efforts to tackle drug abuse…”, it would seem that the over riding concern for parents may be the implication for civil and parental rights. A parent should retain the right to decide if they wish their minor tested.

As mentioned before, debate is hot and heavy over a school’s random use of drug testing. It is proving difficult for parents to weigh the benefits that may accrue from random drug testing against the violation of privacy and civil rights that it represents. Some schools have intensified their well intended intrusions by indirectly affecting how a student spends their week-ends by randomly testing on a Monday morning.

The New York Times printed an number of responses from parents to the question “Is This The Answer to Drug Use?”

Parents Respond to Random Drug Testing

Though parents seem to lean more towards allowing the testing to go on, most do so very reluctantly , torn between ending the plaque of teenage drug abuse and protecting this countrys’ citizens basic rights to privacy.

“Let me start by saying that I personally have a deep respect for the privacy rights afforded to us in the U.S. Constitution but, at the same time I am a strong proponent for random drug testing.”

and

“I’m responding to the question about student random drug testing. Let me start by saying that I personally have a deep respect for the privacy rights afforded to us in the U.S. Constitution but, at the same time I am a strong proponent for random drug testing.”

Privacy Rights vrs Drug Intervention

Some parents and experts are dead set against it.

“…drug testing typically requires the inappropriate release of confidential medical information to administrators, as some drugs that are legitimately prescribed for students may produce false positive results in urine drug screening.”

and

“Random drug testing is going to backlash and prove to do more damage than good. What kind of a message is this to give to our children? We have rapidly become a country of control. How embarrassing for these teens to be pulled out of class to go pee in a cup. They go to school to learn, not to be accused! We adults should be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen.”

and

“My opinion is that it’s an abomination… It was unbelievable to me that this would be implemented. It is straight out of Orwell.”

All quotes from the NYT.