There are now many ways to test people for drug use. Hair testing is an easy method. Hair testing is based on the fact that drugs ingested in the body travel through the bloodstream and are deposited in hair follicles in about the same proportion to the amount taken. Traces remain in the hair, disclosing how long the drugs have been used. (Prospective employers have been using urine testing for years.) There are kits that parents can buy to test their children at home. Even schools are beginning to do drug testing of athletes. Is this the best way to keep kids off drugs?

Many parents seem relieved when schools begin drug testing. It takes the pressure off their shoulders. But is it the school’s responsibility? Some teachers feel that it helps students resist the peer pressure behind much of drug abuse. Some students feel the same way. They can simply blame the school drug testing for their decision to not take drugs. This allows them to save face. Other students think it is an invasion of privacy.

Private schools can actually make drug testing a condition for enrollment. Obviously, public schools cannot. But drug testing of athletes and some extracurricular activities in public schools has been upheld in court. The American Civil Liberties Union has gone on record as being against random drug testing.

The federal government has not set strict guidelines for hair testing for drug usage because it is not convinced of its accuracy. Guidelines are in place for urine testing.

Should children be forced to undergo random drug testing?

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