Responding to the confirmation that a trial of random drug testing will not be going ahead in Kent, Eric Carlin, Chair of the Drug Education Forum, said:
We understand why schools are reluctant to participate in drug testing experiments. In our view, there are other approaches that schools and others can take which are less intrusive into young people’s privacy and which don’t run the risk of alienating and driving out of school precisely the young people who are most likely to be at risk.
In our view, as well as a school drug policy which focusses on prevention and dealing with drug-related incidents, it is essential that all schools implement a programme of drug education, engaging parents and linking to prevention activities in the community. Most young people value this approach above others, with 94% saying it helped them think about the risks involved with taking drugs, and 82% saying it helped them avoid drugs.
The Drug Education Forum briefing paper on the issue can be found here: Random Drug Testing in English Schools.
Ends
- The BBC have reported that:
A planned trial of random drug testing in schools across Kent has been scrapped because not one of the county’s schools signed up.
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Figures used are from Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2006.