Persuasive Essay On Drug Testing

Drug Testing

Believe it or not, kids are tempted by drugs much more often than one might think. People question whether drug testing for high school student-athletes is worth it, respectful of privacy, or simply unnecessary. Drug Testing for high school student-athletes is necessary.

Drug testing in high schools will provide a safer, drug-free environment. Drug testing will give students even more incentive to avoid drugs. Cris Wigington, superintendent at Bushland Independent school district, says “This policy and the program that it supports are designed not for punitive measures, but to eliminate the potential threat to the student’s health and safety that can occur if students are using or under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs”(3

Drug testing prevents student-athletes from abusing performance-enhancing drugs. Mayo Clinic states that anabolic steroids are ”drugs that athletes take to boost their strength and add muscle.” Anabolic steroids boost strength and muscle mass, leading to an unfair advantage against other athletes. This could also be lethal for their competition, especially in combat sports. PEDs have major side effects that can severely impact the quality of life and longevity of a person. Mayo Clinic mentions that steroids can cause “Liver tumors, or other changes to the liver”, ”Problems with the heart and blood flow”, and “Mental health conditions, such as depression” to name a few. Steroids have a lot of side effects, none of them good. High School students might not consider the long-term consequences that steroids could have on them. Drug Testing keeps the playing field level and makes sure students don’t ruin their lives by abusing

Students should not be severely punished for trying drugs once or being pressured into taking drugs. Drug addicts should not be punished if they have an addiction. However, drug addicts should be tested so they can get the help they need. Drug Testing is still needed to identify drug problems in students. In response to the argument of drug testing being costly, Amber Toth, principal of Fort Scott High School states that “Stopping even one student from going down the costly path of drug abuse and addiction, she said, ‘is worth $4,000.’”(Ungar). This demonstrates how drug testing is a worthy investment in schools. Making sure students don’t get addicted to drugs is well worth the amount that the school is paying. Drug testing is a necessary investment that schools should make. Kurt Gibson, associate executive director of The Illinois High School Association, has been testing since 2008 and “Each year, the program costs about $100,000 and tests about 650 students … The association had no positive test results… ‘Our program serves more as a deterrent rather than being designed to punish students ’”(Pilon). Illinois had been testing for about 4 years since that article was written and no student had been found positive. This demonstrates how drug tests function as a tool to scare kids away from drugs and that schools don’t test out of a desire to