Local drug testing news

In a previous post to this blog, Greg Skidmore shared some important legal information concerning mandatory randomized drug testing of high school athletes. The legal cases he cites are the same cases I share with my athletic training students to establish the legal foundation for testing activities. Athletic trainers will often be included in the creation of these testing policies, are usully in the "need to know" loop on positive tests, and at some levels (college, olympic), athletic trainers are often intimately involved with many aspects of the testing procedures (e.g., sample collection). It's an important topic on which they must be informed and for which they must have an opinion.

Over the past 12 months, the issue has receiving increased attention in the local Phoenix metro area. For example, in response to a drug-related car crash involving four high school athletes, the Scottsdale (AZ) Unified School District, with pressure from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, has been considering a mandatory drug testing system since the Spring, 2005. A brief review of the past 12 months worth of Governing Board meetings shows no evidence that a policy has yet been implemented. However they have implemented school-wide drug-sniffing canine programs which will affect all students. Phoenix Union School District is considering a similar drug testing plan, but the Mayor and others have recieved much public resistance about the appropriateness and legality of such a testing system, although legality appears to be fading as a relevant issue.

Case in point: within the past two months, the Chandler (AZ - a suburb of Phoenix) Unified School District has successfully implemented a mandatory drug testing program for three of its high schools. This program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, goes into effect in January, 2006. Expected outcomes for the program include:

• Program empowers students to have a socially acceptable reason to decline using illegal drugs.
• Students participating in sports and non-athletic activities governed by the Arizona Interscholastic Association will set a powerful example for the entire student body.
• Drug use will decline
• Random drug testing will create a safer environment for all athletes
• Reinforces the opportunity for rehabilitation if needed

First, consider the last three bullets. In general, the jury is still out about the eventual likelihood of these outcomes, and perhaps CUSDs program will help contribute to a growing body of literature on the topic. But to date, the current literature does not suggest that these programs are as effective as some might hope. Consider, for example, a recent study by Yamaguchi, Johnston, and O'Mally (Journal of School Health, April 2003, Vol73, No. 4, pp. 159-164). After surveying 30k 8th-graders, 23k 10th-graders,and 23k 12th-graders, they conclude:

. . .drug testing was not associated with eitehr the prevalence or the frequencey of student marijuana use, or of other illicit drug use. Nor was drug testing of athletes associated with lower-than-average marijuana and other illicit drug use by high school male athletes. Even among those who identifeid themselves as fairly experienced marijuana users, drug testing also was not associated with either the prevelance or the frequency of marijuana or other illicit drug use" (p. 164).

One significant limitation from this study is that the surveys were distributed and collected from school administrators, which may lead to response bias. But nevertheless, the study raises some interesting concerns that perhaps our local testing efforts may be able to address.

As for the first two bullets, they don't strike me as outcomes. They may be viewed as crucial social and/or communication tools that assist student-athletes in getting out of tight peer-pressure situations, but they're not outcomes. To the degree that they are employed in the common social situations student-athletes find themselves in, my guess is that it will take quite some time for those accepted social structures to be modified.

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