Imagine this, a beautiful fall Friday night, just minutes after winning an important playoff football game. Celebration is in the air as fans look around gratefully aware that all the players, cheerleaders, band members and other students are drug free: no steroids, tobacco products, or alcohol are anywhere to be found. What they see are students who are simply high on life making unforgettable memories. The roads are safer, the parents sleep more soundly, and students are safe from all the harmful side effects of these substances. This is a wonderful snapshot of the dream of many.
Unfortunately, drug usage among teenagers continues to rise in the United States. Schools, parents, and other agencies need to do everything possible to help prevent students from experimenting with drugs. Sadly, many of today’s students see no harm in taking illegal drugs, participating in underage drinking, or taking dangerous supplements to increase their athletic performance (Volkow i). In fact, students who use performance-enhancing drugs are more likely to suffer injury during an event or have an unfair advantage over their competition. If random drug testing is conducted in high schools, athletes, along with other students, would get a clear message that drugs are dangerous and will not be tolerated. It would help students resist peer pressure and, most importantly, reduce the usage of drugs and other illegal substances by intervening before an out-of-control addiction problem takes root.
The debate of random drug testing of student athletes has been ongoing for quite some time. Many thought such testing would violate their right to privacy. However, in 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, ruled the testing was not a viol...
... middle of paper ...
...
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne, MD. "Teen Drug Abuse Symptoms, Warning Signs, Risk Factors, Treatment - MedicineNet." MedicineNet. Ed. William C. Shiels, MD. n.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. .
Franz, Joseph, MD. "Student Athlete Drug Testing." The Sport Journal (2000): n. p. 2000. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
McGowin, Mallory. "Does the DARE Program Really Work?" News. CBS. KRCG, Missouri, 2 Feb. 2008. Television. Transcript.
"Some Florida Schools Performing Random Drug Tests on Students." Web log post. Teacher World. N.p., 2 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
Volkow, Nora D. Marijuana Facts for Teens. N.p.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013. Print.
What You Need to Know about Drug Testing in Schools. Foreword by John P. Walters. Washington DC: Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2002. Print. NCJ195522.
Between 1985 and 1989 the Vernonia School District began to see a marked increase in disciplinary problems, drug use by students, athletic injuries, use of drugs by athletes and a student body preoccupation with the drug culture. The school district adopted a policy requiring students who participated in interscholastic athletics to sign a consent of both routine and random drug testing.
The court also discussed that student-athletes are choosing to be in a more regulated industry. Athletes already agree to having physical exams, appearance guidelines, and other rules related to their respective programs. This drug testing policy falls under these policies, especially as the drug use was suspected, and that drug use puts children at risk.
“Search and Seizure. Suspicionless Drug Testing. Seventh Circuit Upholds Drug Testing of Student Athletes in Public Schools. Schaill v. Tippecanoe County School Corp., 864 F.2d 1309 (7th Cir. 1988).” Harvard Law Review. 103 (Dec. 1989): 591-597.
Studies as recent as 2001 have shown that 50% of 12th graders have been associated with drug use (“Frequently”). Schools have identified this to be a crucial issue, especially if it is a student who participates in extracurricular activities. Frequent drug use has caused schools to enforce drug test policies. The problem is, not everyone is on board with this new policy. To comprehend the Board of Education v. Earls case of 2002, one must interpret the history prior to the case, contemplate the arguments throughout the case, and recognize the significance of the case. This issue has caused enough controversy to make it all the way to the Supreme Court.
In 1985 a case the Supreme Court heard a case involving searches and seizure of student’s lockers and effects but the school need to show that “reasonable ground existed to believe that the search will uncover evidence of a violation of criminal law or regulation,” rather than the probable cause standard that applies in criminal proceedings. (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008) Drug testing of students has since been upheld since the Supreme Court heard New Jersey v. T.L.O.
In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.
Mitten, Matthew J. "Is Drug Testing of Athletes Necessary?" USA Today. Vol. 134. 2005. 60-62. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
For centuries sports has been the favorite past time and for decades drugs, steroids and Performance enhancing drugs and regular street drugs have been used. In many locker rooms the motto is “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” (Schafer). Over the past decades many see the need to drug test athletes in order to maintain integrity of the sports. Drug testing athletes has to many lawsuits and even has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court many times because some feel that drug testing is an invasion of there privacy. Albiet, drugs have increased the entertainment when watching sports, it has also decreased the sportmanship and integrity. Drug testing is a deterrent that is needed in all sports to decrease the number of unethical players while increasing the integrity of a given sport.
Many wonder how drugs can influence an athlete's performance in sports. Over the past few years, it has become more known and more common for athletes to use drugs to enhance their performance abilities. It has been becoming more common for athletes to overdose on drugs whether it being intentional or accidental. Many athletes who use performance enhancing drugs do not know the consequences or the damage the drugs can do to their body. Most athletes that use performance enhancing drugs are high school students. They believe that because their favorite professional athletes is using the enhancers that they are able to also. Athletes should be drug tested before every game to help reduce the use of drugs.
Many people view drug testing in schools as a good aspect of our school systems. Schools require random drug testing for students in sports. These rates show that random drug testing lower illegal substance use. A pro for random drug testing, can be that it helps regulate the use of drugs in our teenagers. If a teenager happens to test positive, the school and parents can take immediate action to stop the problem before it progresses. They can refer the student to a counselor or if needed to a rehab center. If students know they can be randomly tested, they can see this as a sign to get help. Drug testing can make schools safer and also lower the rates of drug use in schools.
Tricker, R., Cook, D. L., & McGuire, R. (1989). Issues Related to Drug Abuse in College Athletics: Athletes at Risk. Sport Psychologist, 3(2), 155-165.
Drugs, the most common threat in our daily life. Substances that make huge damage to the human body and drag people to complete ruin. A topic that appears everyday in the news, becoming more normal and “chill” to talk about. While in high school one out of five teens tries drugs, leaving the ones that don’t try them labeled as “losers”. Every teen is vulnerable to take drugs in high school due to its reachable Access. So should school athletes be drugs tested? Yes. Yes they absolutely do. The reason why is because they are admired by other students, the use of drugs is extremely damaging and athletes can be exposed to illicit drugs that can help better their performance, which is clearly not fair.
First, schools should be allowed to test students for illegal substances everyday so that the students are healthier. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco have all been proven to be very unhealthy to a person at any age, especially to a person in his or her teenage years when he or she is still growing. In...
“A medical dictionary defines a drug as ‘any substance that when taken into the living organism may modify one or more of its functions’” (Newton 12). However, when speaking of drug testing for abuse a person is usually thinking about illegal drugs or drugs that can alter athletic performance in sporting events. Mandatory drug testing was not allowed in public schools until June 2002 when the Supreme Court allowed for public schools to do random drug testing (Carroll 23). This decision allowed for drug testing in all schools throughout the United States not just for athletes but also students who are in any activities within the school, for example clubs and competitive events (Carroll 23). Even though drug testing is now allowed by the Supreme Court many schools do not yet have mandatory drug test policies. Mandatory drug testing for high school athletes should be required because it decreases drug use in schools, is relatively inexpensive, and can prevent drug use and or abuse that can lead to a lifelong addiction.
Many high schools across the country have brought much attention to the idea of giving random drug tests to students in high school. The newfound interest in student drug testing may be as a result of recent polls, which have shown an increase in drug use among high school students. Many teachers, parents, and members of school comities are for the drug testing, while most students and some parents feel that this would be a violation of students rights as Americans, which is true.