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Mandatory Drug Testing Research Paper

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Mandatory Drug Testing for All Students
Drug testing for marijuana should be used in all schools for all students. At my school I see all the effects marijuana has on a student and wish there was a way for something could be done about it. Currently drug testing is only used with students who participate in extra-curricular activities, mostly sports, which only helps if the student decides to participate. Most people that use marijuana know this so they stay away from any activity that could test them. Drug testing of all students, for marijuana, instead of just students in activities should be implemented because it will help stop drug use before strong addiction, the use marijuana has negative effects on the body, and marijuana negatively …show more content…

On the aircraft carrier Nimitz there was an accident involving drug use by an active duty member. In 1982 the Navy officially started drug testing all active duty personnel. A few years later, in the late 1980’s, the Federal Government started testing workers in jobs that could affect safety of themselves or others. In 1995 drug testing expanded to schools as a drug prevention program. In 1995 there was a Supreme Court case, Acton v. Vernonia School District, where a 12-year-old Oregon boy went to court saying that a mandatory drug test violated his Fourth Amendment rights. (source summary 2). The Fourth Amendment to the constitution gives people the rights to feel safe against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires a warrant to be given by a judge with probable cause. There have been four other court cases involving drug testing and Fourth Amendment rights, with Acton v Vernonia being the first case to challenge the testing being used in schools. In each case the Supreme Court ruled in favor, saying that drug testing is completely legal. In one case, Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls, the court stated that “school district’s drug testing program was a “reasonable means” of preventing and deterring student drug use and did not violate the Fourth Amendment. (source summary …show more content…

No matter how marijuana gets into your system, every organ of the body is affected. Teenage brains are still developing, making them more susceptible to the effects marijuana can have on them. Detecting short term drug use (only on occasion) can prevent a student from anxiety, lowered reaction times, increased heartbeats and panic, but detecting long term drug use early can save a student from lung problems, brain injuries, issues in school, and mood changes. (source 1 effects on the body). Marijuana makes your heart beat twice as fast for up to 3 hours, which can result in a heart attack. The mind is also highly affected by marijuana. Anxiety, depression, and distorted thinking are among the main effect. Combining the anxiety marijuana causes with the anxiety of school can really put stress onto a student, even though many think it is an anxiety and stress reliever they might actually be adding

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