The Importance Of Drug Testing In Middle Schools

According to teenrehabcenter.org, eight percent of 8th graders in the U.S have done drugs. The website compiled this information because of drug tests. The New York Times, reported that some middle schools are demanding student athletes to do drug tests. While most people disagree with middle schools testing athletes because it violates their privacy, middle school athletes should be drug tested, and also all students including athletes should be randomly drug tested.
“It starts early with kids,” said Matthew Franz” (New York Times). This shows that drugs start young with children. When schools, specifically middle schools, do drug test, it helps them detect which students may be on drugs. This can let the student parents intervene, and keep

the student from having severe health issues, including death. At the minimum, middle schools should be drug testing athletes. Athletes do physical activity, which burns calories, and athletes push themselves mentally and physically. When the athletes are on drugs, that athlete will do damage it his/her body because the drugs slow down their body, keeping them from being 100 percent. Drugs can be deadly to athletes, but drug tests help detect drugs usage, so the student life can be saved.
Student athletes are not the only one that use drugs, but middle schools target mainly athletes, but shouldn’t all students be tested? All students should be randomly tested. With random drug tests, the school system would be able to find out who is on drugs. If the students know when the drug tests are, they might stop taking the drug way before the drug test. On a website it states, “Cannabis 7 to 30 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, two weeks in your blood. Cocaine 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 1 - 2 days in your blood. Codeine 1 day in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 12 hours in your blood. Heroin 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, up to 12 hours in your blood” (http://www.drugs.ie). If the students knew when the drug test was, they might not take a certain drug like Cocaine, which stays in the urine for 3-4 days.
Middle schools should do drug test because it benefits the student. Some people disagree with these policies because it violates their privacy, but would it not be worth it to ensure a student’s health.