The Importance Of Mandatory Drug Testing

Improved Essays
Christopher Hitchens once said, “In our time, the symbol of state intrusion into the private life is the mandatory urine test.”(Goodreads) A common misunderstanding is that if you play a sport or participate in extracurricular activities, that you must be using some sort of drug. Professionals can testify that students who don’t participate in activities after school have a higher drug usage than athletes. In reality, these extracurricular activities are keeping these students from using drugs. Why should we invade the privacy of these students who are on the right path? I believe that we should not be drug testing these students in order to maintain their civil rights, save schools money, and not idle away precious time.

There needs to be
…show more content…
As human beings, we have rights that should not be ignored. These rights include the right to privacy and the right of being innocent until proven guilty. In an article that debates the issue, the author states, “One of the fundamental features of our legal system is that we are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing unless and until the government proves otherwise.” (Dr Wilda) With these random drug test, these students do not have this right as an option. These drug tests are random and made mandatory. Students should be innocent until they are proven guilty, but are already assumed to be guilty by having to partake in the drug test. It is as if these have no private life and are treated as if they are convicted felons. Our rights are supposed to protect us from unreasonable searches and seizures. Thee students should not be stereotyped because they fall under a certain group. Also, I believe that the student’s parents should get involved. It should not be the school 's responsibility to find out if students are using drugs or not. What happens to those students who make mistakes, or the students who are in the wrong place at the wrong time? For example, a student attends a party and this party has snacks. The student does not even include the thought of a form of drugs even being in their food, but it is. The student consumes this food without a second thought. This student now has drugs in their system. They get drug tested and now they are kicked off a sport for something they did not even know occurred. In another instance, what if a child may have been under some sort of peer pressure, but it was just a one time thing and they never touched it again. The school administration would not understand that, and that student may lose their chances of having a scholarship from athletic. These students should be able to have

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Drug Testing

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Although schools could be testing the wrong group of people, schools should drug test their athletes because it has been proven effective, it can help spread awareness, and it does not go against the Fourth Amendment. The case of New Jersey v. T.L.O was the first case that was held due of the questioning about whether or not the drug testing of athletes was constitutional. The case came about because of an incident where a girl was caught smoking marijuana in a…

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is drug testing of students who participate in extracurricular activities permitted under the fourth amendment? fourth amendment states that a person has the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Meaning that the people are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government while it does not guarantee against all searches and seizures, only those the law deems unreasonable. Which is determined by the balance of two important interests being…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Do you know anyone who has done drugs? So many kids let their lives go to waste all because of drugs. We can always prevent them from going down the wrong path. Students involved in extracurricular activities and subject to in-school drug testing reported less substance use than comparable students in high schools without drug testing, according to a new evaluation released by the Institute of Education Sciences. So really this is huge plus to the coaches and teachers in the school because they have fewer athletes on drugs.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There is no right or wrong answer, and no “one size fits all” solution. A well-known Supreme Court trial was held against a teenager that resisted from taking a random drug test. In a landmark ruling, the US…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Court concluded that a reasonableness test consisting of the aforementioned inquiry, coupled with the requirement of individualized suspicion, would neither overburden school officials in their efforts to preserve school discipline nor authorize "unrestrained intrusions" into students' realms of privacy. The Court stated that a suspicionless search can only be reasonable where the individual privacy interests affected are minimal and where the intrusion upon those privacy interests furthers a compelling government interest that would be jeopardized by an individualized suspicion requirement. The court balanced the students' privacy interests against the legitimate, but not compelling, interests of the government to combat drug use and found the suspicionless urinalysis testing…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    4th Amendment

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Supreme Court is asked, is the Student Activities Drug Testing Policy, which requires all…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On 4th Amendment

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The student was then charged with drug possession and intent on distribution. The story is not over yet. The student then took her case to court. After a long trial it eventually made its way up the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the child was a delinquent and the search did not violate her rights as she was under reduced expectations of privacy in school.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the text, “students repeated positive tests if needed, and refusals to participate in counseling can lead students from being excluded from extracurricular activities” (Patricia 1). This shows that refusing to take drug tests can make you face some consequences. As of the text, student athletes are pretty much the leaders on campus, they have a responsibility of being a good role model to others (Sawvel 35). This shows that athletes are the big man on campus. As of the text, “most high school teams refuse to perform drug tests because they suspect athletes use drugs” (Wyckoff).…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to the Justices of the Vernonia School District v. Acton Supreme Court case, “Students who voluntarily participate in school athletics have reason to expect intrusions upon normal rights and privileges, including privacy” (646). As the ruling indicates, student athletes are already required to follow school rules and discipline, get a physical exam, obtain insurance coverage, and maintain a minimum GPA. In addition, numerous student athletes must be willing to use locker rooms to shower and change their clothes, further reducing their privacy. Mandatory student athlete drug testing may temporarily intrude into a student’s private life, but student athletes already expect to give up certain privacy rights and freedoms in order to participate in a school sport. In any case, mandatory student athlete drug testing is designed to keep the student safe and away from drugs, not to limit the student athlete’s…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the country, many students are entering high school and many of those students who enter high school play some form of a sport. While high school is known for the time where students are constantly introduced to new things and ideas, many of these newly introduced things and ideas are not ideal things students should be introduced to. One of the things introduced to high school students is drugs. It is inevitable that drugs will be one the things that students are introduced to while in school, but there will be those who use drugs and those who do not use drugs. This does not particularly affect one group of people, but multiple groups of students throughout high school.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the 21st century, it's common to know at least one person that does drugs, whether it be a friend or a family member. Among those people are athletes and high school students in general. Knowing this, I do not think high school sport players should be obligated to take regular drug tests. Playing a sport professionally and playing a sport for a high school are two different things. One big difference is that professional players make a lot of money, while high school players don't make any profit.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    In 2009, the NCAA spent $5.5 million on drug prevention programs and $4.6 million on testing. In 2010-11 they tested 10,735 athletes and only 63 of them came back positive, that less than one percent. That proves that the tests are not very accurate or the athletes know ways around the system. I have heard of several ways to get around the system from friends, movies, TV, or even the internet. I will never have to use those helpful tips because I do not use drugs nor will I ever, but there are several ways to change your test results.…

    • 2073 Words
    • 9 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Drugs and Athletes In this paper I will include several different topics on the subject of Drug Testing Athletes. These subjects include, college athletes being drug tested, the different types of drugs that are used in all athletes, why drug use is a problem in sports, how to determine if an athletes is using drugs, drug testing polices, potential side effects, many historical use of drugs, and two different personal stories that have happened to former athletes. All athletes know that doing illegal or banned drugs of any kind can ruin their health, their eligibility to play sports, their reputation, and their ability to pursue a possible career in professional sports. The most commonly used drugs by college athletes are marijuana, cocaine,…

    • 1550 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As you walk through the school you hope to walk to a friendly, safe environment. For example, you don’t want to be walking into a school where drugs are being sold, used and exchanged. According to the article “Facts About Teenage Drug and Alcohol Abuse” reveals that 86% of this age group know someone who smokes, drinks or does drugs during the school day. As a result students should be drug tested. There many reasons why drug testing is a great tool for schools.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    I do believe drug testing is justified at school level. However, in my opinion this should only be done at high school level. It is normally at this stage that students are selected and begin their professional sporting careers. A sports person who is doping is likely to perform more consistently and better than their competitors who are not.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays