Random student drug tests banned

[flashl]

Other states allow it. The U.S. Constitution allows it. But the Washington Supreme Court said Thursday that random drug testing of student athletes is not allowed under the state Constitution.

The decision involved athletes who sued the Wahkiakum School District in 1999 after the district began requiring students to undergo urine tests if they wanted to participate in sports. If the tests indicated drug or alcohol use, the student was suspended from sports but wasn't reported to police.

...

Thursday's opinion says Wahkiakum, and by implication other school districts, must stop random drug testing.

The ACLU of Washington, which represented the students and their parents, said the ruling will put an end to suspicionless random drug testing in Washington schools. "The justices concluded, as we had contended, that it violates the state Constitution to require a student to give their urine without any reason to believe they've done anything wrong," spokesman Doug Honig said.

Seattle Times

[hazardballsaem]

1. Yea well

I agree with you completely as being a student athlete myself I don't think that it's right either and Im glad that justice was served for once in this country!!!!!!

[Firethorn]

2. I'm tossed up about this.

On the one hand, I don't think that testing people without suspicion is right.

On the other hand, given that it's more or less a fact of life in professional sports and the Olympics. I can see the point of the testing.

Drug use at the professional levels is cheating - and rampant if not controlled. I've read a number of cases where HS students were doping - not only cheating, but potentially destroying their still developing bodies for the briefest of successes. It's not likely you'd make it into college/professional sports even if you're doping, and you're incredibly likely to be caught even if you do.

The random part is a cost saving measure.

Part of the 'good' would be that a positive test doesn't get reported to law enforcement. In my job, a positive is reported.