Teenagers are some of the most common consumers of illegal substances, which can lead to various adverse effects on the brain, body and behaviour. Drug testing in schools can be an effective tool to avoid transforming drug abuse into a serious addiction. The only problem which should be carefully considered is that drug testing must respect the privacy and confidentiality of the subject. Teenagers who use drugs are more likely to skip school, and some drugs even influence the user to get involved in physical attacks. Reducing drug use among teenagers should therefore involve drug testing in educational institutions.

A school that initiates a drug testing program should receive both financial and technical support, for the most successful results. To avoid problems with privacy issues, schools can adopt an accurate and detailed policy to run their drug testing programs. Parents, as well as the entire community, should give their consent about testing teenagers in schools for drug abuse, though, in order to be ethical and fair. A supportive environment can help a drug testing program to achieve its goals, which is to convince teenagers to give up drugs. Successful results are very important in order to justify the money spent. We should all keep in mind that the purpose of drug testing is not to punish the students that are abusing drugs, but only to prevent dependency and help them to become drug free. When a student is diagnosed with drug addiction, the school should then provide information about effective drug treatment programs, and help them get that monkey off their back.

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