Speech

Statistics show that around 40% of high school students have been offered or pressured into trying marijuana. That means that about 12 of you in this classroom have had the chance to get high. Now of just the senior population alone, 19.4% of students have used marijuana in the last 30 days. That’s not counting the other illegal drugs, and the alcohol abuse that happens all the time, which is just as dangerous.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not just picking on marijuana. It just happens to be the most common recreational drug used. I’m also not saying we should keep it illegal or legalize it. What I do believe though, is that if we are to keep marijuana, and other drugs, illegal we should at least enforce the laws we have, and enforce them correctly.

Currently only athletes are subjected to drug testing, which is done incorrectly. According to the KHSAA, and Fayette County rules athletes are to be tested before the season, and randomly throughout. Neither of these rules have been met at Henry Clay for multiple sports teams since drug testing has started. Do you really think that incorrect drug testing will solve the problem?

If the school is so avid about stopping the abuse of drugs, then why do they continue to waste time, money, and human resources to do drug testing that is accomplishing nothing? Honestly, the school is doing such a bad job with it; they shouldn’t be doing it at all. Plus, if you think about it, many people hold high school athletes as being the leaders of their schools, and above many things like drugs. Now, I know drug testing is also for steroid use, but if the schools are looking for illegal drugs and the misuse of prescription drugs, then why not expand drug testing to the rest of the school? It is unfair to single out one select group of students because they happen to play a sport.

In drug testing an entire school I wouldn’t expect them to do it randomly every week or month, though they could randomly test different parts of the student population during the school year. Teachers should also be tested, even if they are regarded as great role models and above things like drugs, we all know people aren’t perfect and even the best among us can fall short sometimes. Recently we’ve seen an example of a teacher caught up in problems with drugs, which is just another reminder that it could happen to any of us.

Drug testing would also allow kids to see, on a smaller scale, the consequences of drug use and abuse. The many D.A.R.E. classes we had in elementary school are in no way doing enough to stop the use of drugs. Statistics taken by the Bureau Of Justice are showing that from 1988 to 2008 high school students who believe that there is a risk in doing illegal drugs has dropped. That means that more and more students aren’t thinking about what marijuana, heroin, LSD, and many other drugs can do to their body, mind and their futures.

If we drug test, we should do it right, and we should do it to everyone, not just athletes. Students, teachers, principals, counselors, coaches, and staff should all be tested. Just because you hold a position of power doesn’t mean you aren’t above being tested and it doesn’t mean you are any less likely to do drugs than the rest of us. We’re all human after all.