Routine Drug Testing For High School Athletes

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Patricia Neal once said, “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug” (Neal). However, many teenagers of this era, large part athletes, seem to think differently and they constantly use illegal drugs. To help fight this problem, many colleges have taken strong actions in trying to stop drug abuse by athletes. High schools throughout the country have considered taking these same actions for various reasons as well. Some people believe that high school athletes ought to be given a routine drug test because it will help prevent them from abusing illegal substances. Such actions will also help detect cheaters who use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to get an edge over their opponents. On the other hand, some believe that routine drug testing is unnecessary because it will be inefficient in detecting drug abusers. However, there are more pros to this system than cons, and therefore high schools throughout the United States should give their athletes routine drug tests.

One reason why high school athletes should be given a routine drug test is because it will help prevent a large number of students from abusing illegal substances. Marijuana, ecstasy, and other narcotic drugs have become popular not only among adults but also among teenagers. In fact, a 2003 study pointed out that more than 7.5 million individuals, ages 12 to 17, reported having used an illegal drug at least once in their lifetime. The same study indicated that out of the students in grades nine through twelve 40.2 percent had used marijuana, 12.1 percent had used inhalants, 11.1 percent had used ecstasy, 8.7 percent had used cocaine, 7.6 percent had used methamphetamine, and 3.3 percent had used heroin ("Teens and Drugs Fast Fa...

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...s to enforce routine drug tests for athletes, just think of all of the lives that can be saved with such a magnificent system.

Works Cited

Neal, Patricia. "Drug Quotes." BrainyQuotes. N.p., 01 Jan 2010. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .

Schwarzenegger, Arnold. "Steroid Quotes." Staroid Quotations. N.p., 24 Feb 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .

"How significant is teen drug use?." Teens and Drugs Fast Facts. National Drug Intelligence Center, 01 Jan 2006. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .

"Teen Drug Abuse ." MedicineNet. N.p., 21 Jun 2007. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .

"Anabolic Steroids." Nida for Teens. NIDA, 01 Jan 2010. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .

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