Opposing Arguments for Random Drug Tests in High School
- Opponents against random drug testing in high schools maintain the policy violates the principle of being innocent until proven guilty. Enforcing tests invades the privacy of students who do not use drugs nor is there any suspicion they would use drugs. Students who are not under suspicion are not breaking any laws or school policies; however, they are subjected to the same testing as the ones who do. They may also feel a loss of dignity. The American Civil Liberties Union is against random drug tests because the intrusive practice assumes everyone is suspicious and needs to be tested.
- At times, a positive drug test is not really a positive at all. Drug testing is not an exact science, and some tests do produce false positives. While the National Institute on Drug Abuse consistently produces accurate results, these tests are generally ordered for federal government. School districts will likely order and administer the cheapest drug tests available. Many human errors are possible as well; some are caused by careless or irresponsible behaviors and others are by accident. It is true that human error can ruin the results of any test.
- Many school districts are strapped for cash,and many argue that institutionalizing random drug tests will only add another cost to an already tight budget. In school districts where the board was considering a drug test for its teachers, staff members argued they would rather use the funds appropriated for the tests to be reinvested into school supplies or other teaching aids. They also contest that the practice takes away valuable time the teachers could spend in the classroom.
- According to "Time" magazine, a study conducted by the University of Michigan found that random student drug tests may reduce marijuana use, but the process may actually increase the use of other "harder"drugs like prescription pills and other drugs. The authors of the study believe the kids switched to other drugs because they believe the urinalysis will not be able to detect those elements during the test. The authors also told "Time" they discovered no statistically meaningful difference in the drug use rates among students who attended schools that did random drug tests and those that did not -- students were not deterred from using drugs even though they knew they may have to take a test.