Student Drug Testing: Effective?

1. Student Drug Testing: Effective? Joy Martin University Central Oklahoma

2. Oklahoma Teen Drug Use • 32% of OK high school students have used marijuana • 2% of OK high school students have used some form of cocaine • 10% of adolescents ages 12-17 have used prescription pain relievers (for non-medical reasons)

3. On June 27, 2002, Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court delivered the opinion of the Court: Student Drug Testing

4. “All students who participate in competitive extracurricular activities to submit to drug testing. Because this Policy reasonably serves the School District’s important interest in detecting and preventing drug use among its students, we hold that it is constitutional.”

6. Dissenting Opinion The ruling “falls short doubly if deterrence is its aim: It invades the privacy of students who need deterrence least, and risks steering students at greatest risk for substance abuse away from extracurricular involvement that potentially may palliate drug problems.”

7. 21% of Students reported using an illicit drug (other than marijuana) in a School with a Drug Testing Program 19% of Students reported using an illicit drug (other than marijuana) in a School without a Drug Testing Program Illicit Drug Use Among 12 Graders

8. 37% of Students reported using marijuana in a School with a Drug Testing Program 36% of Students reported using marijuana in a School without a Drug Testing Program Marijuana Use Among 12th Graders

9. Drug Prevention Programs • D.A.R.E • Drug Abuse Resistance Education • keepin’ it REAL • Refuse, Explain, Avoid, Leave

10. Students receiving keepin’ it REAL reported lower alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use than students who did not receive the program. The effectiveness of the curriculum resulted in the selection of keepin’ it REAL as one of SAMHSA’s model programs and its listing on the National Registry of Effective Programs.

11. Parental Involvement • Open Communication • At-home testing kits • Zero tolerance