Random Drug Testing In Schools

Many people believe that in this day and age people’s privacy is almost non-existent due to new laws and social media. Others would argue quite the opposite. The argument of random drug testing in schools is a modern day idea that can solve many problems, but can also create problems too. Both sides of the argument bring up many valid points, all of which are from credible sources. Whether they think random drug testing in schools is harmful to students’ rights or that the benefits of drug testing outweigh the preferred privacy of the students, the articles present reliable evidence that could change your opinion. Peoples’ rights and privacy are at utmost importance in the United States. When random drug testing is introduced, most become
Evidence by prestigious individuals claim to disprove the evidence presented by these “written self-reporting surveys”. In these self-supporting surveys, they claims that “58% reported that drug use by students decreased,” while in the other article, it states that “The first large-scale national study on student drug testing found no difference in rates of drug use between schools that have drug testing programs and those that do not.” Another example of this article disclaiming the effectiveness of drug testing is “Based on data collected between 1998 and 2001 from 76,000 students nationwide, in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, the study found that drug testing did not have an impact on illicit drug use among students, including athletes.” One side of this argument seems to value the privacy and natural rights of the student, while the other side seems to value the safety of the student and developing good
A great example is given by the author in the article supporting the privacy of the student; “I know lots of kids who don’t want to get into sports and stuff because they don’t want to get drug tested. That’s one of the reasons I’m not into any [activity]. Cause … I’m on medication, so I would always test positive, and then they would have to ask me about my medication, and I would be embarrassed.” This shows that my suggestion with scheduled drug test dates would be effective, because people on medication could discuss this issue beforehand.
The overall benefits of my proposal include the guaranteed safety of the students well being, minimal invasion of privacy because of the scheduled test dates, kids wouldn’t turn to binge drinking or harder drugs as an alternative, and students wouldn’t be discouraged to join activities and sports. Although there is no guarantee in completely stopping illicit drug use among students, I believe that my alternative solution could definitely impact this fight against illegal drug use in young