Random drug testing in schools questioned
A new report has questioned the effectiveness of random drug testing in schools, calling for further evidence on their probable impact.
While both the Prime Minister and Tory leader Michael Howard have voiced their support for random drug tests in schools, a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation argues that their proliferation should not be encouraged. There is “little high quality” evidence of their effectiveness in reducing drug use, it states.
The Abbey school in Faversham, Kent, introduced random drug tests in the new year and is thought to be the first state school to do so.
While the school believes that the tests have deterred drug use, Neil McKeganey, professor of drug misuse research at Glasgow University, argues that encouraging the spread of random drug testing contains ethical complexities.
Professor McKeganey is concerned that the tests could serve to “undermine trust between pupils and staff”, making drug problems harder to detect.
“It is difficult to judge the true likelihood of drug-testing being widely used in UK schools,” he said.
“If random drug-testing programmes were to be piloted, there would be an obvious need to ensure that their impact was rigorously and independently evaluated.”
A report released last year found that two in five 15-year-olds in the UK have smoked cannabis – a figure higher than for any other European country.
