Children are our greatest resource
The United States Education system realizes this and that there is also a great threat endangering our children............DRUG ABUSE. Drug abuse among students has risen to an unprecedented level as the statistics below reveal:
Drug Use At Record Levels
In its ninth annual survey of students in grades 6-12, PRIDE (National Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education) reported that annual use of most drugs was at the highest level since the survey began in 1987-88. Record percentages of use were reported for the following drug categories: cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, uppers, downers, inhalants, and hallucinogens.
- Nearly one in five 12th graders (18.3%) used an illicit drug weekly or more.
- Almost one in ten (8.4%) used daily.
- More than a quarter admitted weekly alcohol use (25.8%). In addition, 7.1% used cocaine in the past year; 11.6% used uppers; 12.1% used hallucinogens, and 3.5% used heroin.
Testing Is The Answer
Schools and Other educational institutions have begun to turn to a solution that Businesses have relied upon for over 2 decades. Drug testing programs have a proven track record of helping companies maintain a safe work environment and help employees get back on the right track.
Educators are now turning to drug testing students to help remedy the overwhelming student drug abuse problem we see in our schools. School drug testing programs are structured around solid-proven workplace drug testing practices. Even more encouragement for the drug testing of students is being proven by court cases that find the testing of students is a legal and an ethical practice. Drug testing students may not be the cure for our student drug abuse problems in the United States, but it will certainly be recognized as the single best solution currently at our disposal.
