Five Merseyside schools are poised to begin random drugs tests. David Higgerson considers the controversial plan
By David Higgerson, Daily Post
HUNDREDS of school-children face the prospect of being randomly screened for drugs next term. Northumbrian-based firm Preventx revealed it had started supplying five schools in this area with its kits.
It follows on from trials elsewhere in the country, which have been criticised by some for infringing on the civil liberties of youngsters.
Charity Drugscope is among critics. A spokesman said: "Testing risks driving drug use further underground, and could result in an increase in truancies and exclusions.
"There is no room for complacency, but it is important to acknowledge that the use of hard drugs among young people has fallen significantly since the 1990s, and the majority do not use drugs at all. We do not accept that testing pupils as young as 11 is a proportionate response to general concerns about drug use."
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which monitors social trends, concluded that there was not yet enough evidence to determine the impact of such tests.
But that may soon change. In Kent, 103 schools are trying out drug-testing of up to 20 pupils each a week as part of a scheme supporting by the Department for Education and Skills.
And it appears the Government supports the idea of such tests.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his backing in the past, and the Government's own advisor on the issue believes such tests will soon be commonplace.
Peter Walker, a former headteacher whose school pioneered such tests, said: "If it's properly evaluated in a positive way, it will clearly be a model to be rolled out across the United Kingdom."
Today, the Daily Post asks: Should school pupils be tested for drugs?
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