STEREOIDS

Should drug testing be allowed in school athletic programs? Who should be tested - athletes, clubs, band members, or every student? Some people think that drug-testing programs is the answer for those who are drug users. Drug-testing is a controversial matter because it is intrusive; it in fringes on an individual's right to privacy, and raises a host of legal technical and ethnical matters. It also creates a sense of suspicion and the lack of trust between school staff and student. While others fear that drug programs are an invasion of a persons' privacy and results in punishment. Drug testing in high school sports should be allowed because it is designed to help detect and prevent drug use. High schools should have the right to administer drug tests to student athletes. Students are under the care of the school, making the school responsible for everything that occurs on campus. The usage of drugs by a student or group of students creates an issue of safety. According to Lawler, "Supporters of drug-testing in schools argue that athletes are under the protection of the schools when they are there"(27). All schools have the responsibility to control and supervise athletes to prevent or stop drug use. The reason for schools to have a drug test policy is to create a safe, drug free environment for student athletes and the entire student body. Aransas Pass Independent School District (APISD) adopted an athletic drug-testing policy stating that the schools are recognizing, observing, and suspecting that illicit drug use of student athletes are increasing. The School District will be setting up a program of deterrence in helping to approach a drug free environment for the schools. Student athletes who use illicit drugs pose as a threat to their own health and safety, as well as to others. The school district objectives are to provide a deterrent to drug use for high school student athletes, to provide a drug education program for student athletes who test positive, and for the student athletes who are at risk of drug use, keep students healthy and safe, and undermine the effects of peer pressure by giving a good reason for student athletes to refuse to use illicit drugs. This program is designed to promote a safe, drug free environment for student athletes and assist them in getting the help that they need. The plan of action the school district is willing to take: (1) All student athletes will be tested at least once yearly upon entering the athletic program. Random testing will be done on at least ten high school student athletes. (2) All athletes will be tested. (3) Testing provided will be certified nationally by an independent laboratory. (4) Student athletes who refuse to provide a sample will be considered positive and will be reported to the athletic director. (5) Student athletes who do not cooperate with the drug testing will be considered a positive result and reported to the athletic director. (6) A parent/guardian will be notified by the athletic director or the building principal if the student athlete's test results indicated the use of illegal drugs or banned substances. (7) If test results come back positive, student athletes can request a second test, at the students expense. "The district will reimburse the student if there is a false-positive test as long as the test is at a nationally certified independent laboratory supplied by the school district." (Aransas Pass ISD 4). The school district is creating a place where students will feel safe, protected, and know that they will not be harmed.
Stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, and steroids have certain effects on the body and mind. Stimulants, such as cocaine and crack, speed up the central nervous system by increasing the activity of the mind and body. Monroe describes the effects crack and cocaine have on a human system; "Blood vessels narrow, so the heart works faster. Week blood vessels can burst and a weak heart can begin skipping beats. This may lead to a heart attack or death" (17). Cocaine and crack are dangerous drugs for student athletes to be taking. Athletes are involved in strenuous exercise causing their heart to beat faster naturally. Taking drugs, causes everything in their body to speed up faster than the heart really should. This is where athletes get themselves in trouble. High schools are attempting to save the lives of those athletes who could be addicted to dangerous drugs. Other types of drugs are sedatives or downers which slows down the central nervous system, causing bad feelings followed by a quick "rush". Marijuana, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) and Phencyclidine (PCP) are hallucinogens which affect a person's perceptions, sensations, thinking, self-awareness and emotions. Steroids main side effects are trembling, severe acne, fluid retention, aching joints, high blood pressure, jaundice, and liver tumors. Athletes also take steroids to help them recover from injuries faster. Athletes who resort to drug usage either do not know how or what the effects of these drugs can do to a person mentally and physically. Some drugs will make the athlete more aggressive. This aggression leads to a person wanting to take it out on anyone -teammates, coaches even family. Random testing for students will help prevent them from hurting others and themselves. By providing a deterrent of drug use promoting the health and safety of all students. In athletic programs, competitions should be a test of skill and teamwork, not artificial muscle. Student athletes who use drugs gain an unfair advantage (steroid use) over opponents or creates a disadvantage (drug use) for their teammates and violates the form signed by the athlete to participate. Creatine, a nutritional supplement, is used by some high school football and baseball players so they can build muscle and become stronger competitors. Suziann thinks drug tests for high school athletes should be allowed because it will help prevent drug use and give athletes equal opportunities to succeed in sports. " Suziann Reid, an 18-year-old track star from Eleanor Roosevelt High School... is in favor of the ruling because it ensures all athletes are playing fairly and drug-free"(Sports and Courts 3). High school students want competitions to be fair. The athletes work hard to be where they or their team wants to be -physically, mentally, and emotionally. Team players are not focused on taking narcotics or steroids. Team players will focus on how they will help their team benefit with their own skill and talent. Players who take steroids are creating artificial muscle and do not have to work as hard to gain muscle naturally. When a player has the drive to succeed in a sport, they should not need to rely on drugs or steroids to improve or enhance their performance out on the field or the court.
Drug-testing in high school, to many, is an invasion of privacy. Students and parents think athletes being tested for drugs is against their Fourth Amendment rights, which guarantees privacy and security to all citizens. In The Facts About Drug Testing, Monroe states, "The main argument... is that it violates the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. This says that general searches of people are unfair and unreasonable"(36). The law states there has to be a reason for schools, police officers or anyone else to search through someone's personal items. Most people think it is okay to search or test a student if they are under the influence of drugs. The school must have some suspicion or reason a student athlete is taking drugs. In the Vernonia School District v. Acton case, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, "The state's power over schoolchildren . . . permit a degree of supervision and control that could not be exercised over free adults" (Lawler 33). The parents and students did not agree with signing the consent form because the Acton's son, James, was not under the influence of drugs, but under the suspicion of the school. The courts ruling was that the school district does have the right to hand out and administer drug test policies for athletes. The court system is right with their rulings of letting the schools decide whether they want to administer drug-test policies or not. The school has every right to protect athletes and students because the students are under the care of the school. Students and athletes are on school property giving teachers and principles the right to search property that belongs to the school. The school is ensuring the health and safety of all student athletes. Others think drug -testing should not be allowed because the tests are expensive to administer. Money that pays for the drug tests is through a budget given by the state to the school districts. The schools are given money by state to pay for the necessities that students will need during the school year. Street drugs can be analyzed for twenty dollars per test, not including steroids. "Most current drug-testing programs test as least 10 students per week at a cost of approximately ,000 per year"(Sports and Courts 4 of 7). This does not include the cost of gathering samples, maintaining the quality of the test, and the transportation of the test. Testing for steroids could cost anywhere from seventy to ninety dollars per test. "Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner Bob Ottewill recently told USA Today that the cost per year for a drug-testing program in his state would range between 72,000 and 2 million"(Sports and Courts 4 of 7). Some schools do not have the money to test those student athletes who are on drugs or are suspected of taking drugs. Many schools receive money from the federal and state government for testing programs. Most of the activities and athletic associations do not think the drug -testing program will be adopted or picked up on a statewide basis. Drug-testing may be expensive but schools can get discounts for testing many students. Plus, parents would rather have their children safe and in a safe environment. The health and safety of all students provides a legitimate reason for students and athletes to refuse to use illicit drugs.
The last issue to consider is many parents think high school athletes will be distracted from their school work if random drug-testing were allowed. The students will worry, all year round, to see if they are the next "victim" to be picked for the drug-test. This creates pressures on the students and may not allow them concentrate on school work or homework. There should not be any pressure on a student athlete. These students should be willing to take a drug test if they know they are not using drugs. The monitors do not watch the athletes take the test. The girls go into stalls with the monitor just waiting in the bathroom, while the boys go into urinals with the monitors back turned facing the door. The students have their privacy in the bathroom, it is just like being in there with another student during the day.
Drug-testing in schools will always be a controversial issue. Schools need to weigh their options before they introduce a drug-testing program. There will be many steps to consider if schools decide to introduce drug-testing to students. Schools play a positive role in ensuring the student drug users receive appropriate attention. It is clear that drug-testing in high school athletics evokes many social, ethical and legal issues. Drug-testing should be allowed in high schools because keeping the students safe and healthy is an important factor.