Last summer, tragedy rocked a close-knit southern Indiana community when a high school student shot and killed a police officer before turning the gun on himself. In response to this incident - and the fact that the teenager who committed these acts was facing marijuana possession charges - the decision was made to implement drug testing in the town's high schools. The proposal has been met with opposition by students and parents.

"When classes begin in August, parents will be offered free take-home drug testing kits through the school, and not surprisingly, students are overwhelmingly opposed. But students aren't the only critics of the bold measure, which some parents believe is not only excessive, but also misguided."

The concern is that students will be so fearful of punishment that they won't admit to having drug-related problems, nor will they seek help. Instead, parents would prefer that the schools focus on education and prevention. Source: Louisville (Kentucky) Eccentric Observer

Labels: drug_testing, high_school, marijuana

A high school in Peoria, Illinois, has reached an agreement with a local health center to have the center begin random drug testing of the school's students in the upcoming academic year. Each week, Tazwood Mental Health Center will test a minimum of ten Morton High School students who are involved in extracurricular activities.

"Students are eligible for testing throughout their four years in high school. If they decline, they have to sit out extracurricular activities for one year. Police will not be notified of a positive drug test, but a student will be subject to the penalties imposed in the appropriate athletic or activity code."

Parents will also be notified and Tazwood will offer on-site substance abuse counseling services two to three days a week. Source: Peoria Journal Star

Labels: drug_testing, extracurricular_activities, high_school

Family doctors and pediatricians may want to screen teenagers for drug and alcohol abuse whenever teens go to their doctors and not just during routine check-ups, according to a new study from the Children's Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Knight and his colleagues found that 23% of 2,133 teens in his study screened positive when they were at the doctor because of illness or injury. Only 11% screened positive during routine check-ups.
"Screening should occur whenever there is an opportunity and not just during well-child visits," said Dr. John Knight, director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research.

Doctors argue that there is not enough time during a typical fifteen-minute doctor's visit to do such assessments. Dr. Knight counters by saying his six-question test takes only a few minutes.

This study appears in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

SunHawk Academy is a boarding school for troubled teens in Utah that is geared to helping teenagers who are experiencing drug and alcohol addiction. Visit SunHawkAcademy.com to learn more about their adolescent residential treatment program.

Labels: advice, assessment, drug_testing

Wisconsin is consistently placed near the top of the list when states are ranked for levels of drug and alcohol use among their residents. Beginning in March, the state began taking steps to lower their ranking.

"...a clinic screening and assistance program administered by the state and funded by the federal government has been launched at 20 clinics... Initial screenings are aimed at identifying at-risk patients, who then meet with health educators to discuss options for decreasing alcohol and drug use."

In May, 14 clinics completed more than 1,600 screenings. Earlier studies have shown that the state saves about $1,000 in health care and criminal justice costs for every patient that is screened and treated for at-risk behaviors. Read more at Madison.com.

Teenage drug addiction and teen drug abuse can be hard for parents to accept and scary for them to deal with. Learn more and find ways to help your teen at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: clinics, drug_screening, drug_testing