Bay area schools randomly drug testing students

[The_Professor]

Bay area schools randomly drug testing students


Tampa, Florida - U.S. Drug Czar John Walters is in Tampa touting local programs aimed at stopping students from using and abusing prescription drugs.

Walters is the National Director of Drugs Control Policy. He says many teens and young people believe prescription pills are not as dangerous as street drugs.

Tampa Catholic High School has already begun random drug testing.  They test a few students every 2 weeks.

In Florida, 1 out of every 8 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 report abusing prescription drugs in the past year.  Drug related deaths for both oxycodone and hydrocodone in Florida exceed those for heroin.

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools could conduct random drug testing of athletes, expanding that in 2002 to include students involved in extracurricular activities.


Tampa Bay's 10 News

[Xavier_Onassis]

He says many teens and young people believe prescription pills are not as dangerous as street drugs.

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THis is actually true to some degree. They are tested for uniformiity, purity and side effects, whereas street drugs aren't. One never can be sure about meth, ecxtasy and other street lab drugs,.

Oxycontin is basically an opiate, and it is more available than heroin or morphine. But marijuana is a lot safer, simply because it cannot kill you.

[Lanya]

Xavier: <<THis is actually true to some degree.>>

To some degree, it is.  But those drugs you named are not the only drugs they abuse.   
A teen I know from church was given a couple of pills at school, he took them, and he almost died.  Tegretol, for seizures.  He didn't know what the drug was, what it was for, just that someone gave it to him and he thought he could get high from it.  Very much a wake-up call for him, I hope.

[Richpo64]

I can't imagine the ACLU will allow public school children to be drug tested.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I can't imagine the ACLU will allow public school children to be drug tested.

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Psst. The ACLU does not have the power to do more than bring a lawsuit against the school board or other entity that mandates testing children for drugs.

[Richpo64]

>>Psst. The ACLU does not have the power to do more than bring a lawsuit against the school board or other entity that mandates testing children for drugs.<<

Uh, no shit.