quiring that students produce urine samples to join not just the track team but also the band, and the chess club. Students must also submit to urinalysis if they want to drive to school. In Cave City, Arkansas teens must sign up for random testing if they want to go on field trips or to attend the prom. Private schools are cracking down even harder such as Pope John Paul II High School in Slidell, La, who plans to test the entire student body starting this fall (Hawkins 70).Although drug use is down slightly after six years of steady increase, some 41% of high school seniors used illicit drugs last year, according to a study by the University of Michigan. Proponents of the procedure say it will relieve students from peer pressure by giving them an excuse to say no (Hawkins 70). Students on the other hand feel that the schools are targeting the wrong kids and testing for the wrong substances. They feel that the kids who participate in after-school activities are not necessarily the ones doing drugs. Some of the most popular teen drugs; nicotine, LSD, steroids, and especially alcohol are typically not targeted because the tests are too expensive and hard to administer. Because of this loophole in the system, alcohol and “hard drugs” are becoming the drug of choice at schools that test their students. Basically, the testing process targets the use of marijuana because it is the most widely used illicit drug. Marijuana is the only drug that is not water soluble, so it stays in the system far longer than traces of other drugs. The person who smoked marijuana two weeks ago has a better chance of testing positive for it than if he used cocaine two days ago (“Why” 1).Just how effective are the tests given to students? They feel that they are fairly easy to beat. Teens reportedly add salt, Visine, bleach, or vinegar to their samples, or they drink gallons of water to dilute their samples. They also may leave cups behind...
