Male Students Do Alcohol and Drugs Despite School Drug Testing

A new study has shown that student drug testing programs do not necessarily put a stop or minimize drug and alcohol use among male students.

 

The study was done by examining 943 high school students with ages ranging from 14 to 19 years old. Reported results claim that drug testing programs do not serve as a deterrent as most male respondents said they did not stop nor lessen their use of alcohol and drugs despite the implementation of drug testing in their respective schools.

Dan Romer, one of the co-authors of the study relates the data they have gathered to the existence of drug testing programs for students. “This study sends a cautionary note to the estimated 20% or more of high schools that have joined the drug testing bandwagon. We find little evidence that this approach to minimizing teen drug use is having the deterrent effect its proponents claim.”

The proponents of the study suggest that schools should first improve on the climate and culture existing in their institution. This will have a greater impact among students and in the whole school community with regards to drugs and alcohol usage.

In schools where rules and regulations were clearly enforced, drug testing initiatives did produce positive results as female students refrained from getting into dangerous habits and male students were less likely to experiment with the substances.

“Schools should consider improving their climates before embarking on drug testing,” Romer explains. “Students in schools with good climates are far more likely to respond well to messages discouraging the use of drugs than students in schools with poor climates.”