A bit of Drug Testing at Schools
Once upon a time I was staunchly against drug testing anytime anywhere.Of course, during this period I was quite the head myself and frequented venues where the alcohol, cannabis, and pharmaceuticals flowed unabated.
Then one day it became obvious that drug testing had become a fact of life in employment.
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Smartest move I ever made.
One of my good friends had the audacity to say "I'm going to smoke my pot now, and that's just the way it is".
He was fired from the best job which could be had in his home town because he failed a urine test for cannabis.
He lost his 50,000 dollar Ford pickup truck in the deal.
I felt bad for him but now he tends bar at a biker joint and this did not have to be his hard headed outcome.
I was reading about a Texas school district which will begin drug testinng students as young as 12 years of age if they are interested in playing sports or participating in extracurricular activities.
This all goes down at the commencement of classes in a month.
The local jurisdiction says there is no drug problem. They just want to get a 'leg up' on keeping students safe and in a drug free environment.
The policy has been under discussion for about a year and the district wants to be proactive in controlling drug abuse.
Seven substances will be screened that include alcohol, marijuana, heroin and opioids with the fundage already budgeted.
SCOTUS provided for this in 2002 by raising the authority of public schools to test children for illegal drugs in middle and high schools expanding to those included in extracurricular activities in addition to those participating in student athletics, who were already being routinely tested.
As for me, I no longer care about drug testing at any level. Some of those with whom I interact likewise do not fear the drug test.
There comes a time when old habits must be set aside as a predicate for the future.