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News of Hope email. |
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| WELCOME
to May, 2007 - 'NEWS OF HOPE'
Welcome
to the May NEWS OF HOPE
Newsletter!
April and May are my
"harvest" period --
when I travel extensively to
conferences and to schools that
schedule their last prevention
assemblies before prom and
year-end.
People always ask, "So,
where have you been
lately?" April and early
May have been a whirlwind across
Texas, Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts and Hawaii... What
a treat to meet warm-hearted
youth and adults all across this
country who are equally
passionate about stopping
underage drinking, preventing
drug abuse, and healing the
emotional wounds that lead to
abuse, self-harm, violence and
other self-destructive choices.
Everyone of you receiving this
newsletter is REMARKABLE for
your efforts and your caring
about kids and families --- you
wouldn't be on the list if your
weren't! It's been a JOY to come
up with newsletters this school
year keep you informed and
impassioned to BE that positive
difference in the lives of
others.
THIS ISSUE is about a
controversial topic: TEEN DRUG
TESTING.
We have had the pleasure of
getting to know the folks at
TEST MY TEEN who offer FREE DRUG
TESTS to parents and schools and
are ADAMANT that drug-testing
makes a positive difference.
We've got a link on our site and
in this email so you can take
advantage of this FREE
opportunity.
In turn, it is our job to
provide current information and
varying perspectives, so we've
also included opinions on the
other side of the issue, those
folks who consider random
drug-testing a potentially
harmful tool in the prevention
of teen alcohol and drug use.
It is up to YOU to make the call
for your kids, your school, your
community.
I feel that random drug-testing
has a place in the prevention
realm. We encourage you to
consider drug testing if it
speaks to your child's/school's
needs and if it seems to be the
next indicated thing. We ALSO
encourage you not to forget that
UNDER EVERY DECISION OUR YOUTH
(AND WE) MAKE ARE OUR FEELINGS.
We recommend a component of your
prevention efforts include
awareness about "EMOTIONAL
WISDOM" - helping youth and
adults recognize their feelings,
where they come from including
past trauma/loss, and making it
easier for them to reach out for
help to process the feelings,
the grief and the worthlessness
that motivate many to escape
into alcohol, drugs, sex,
violence, and self-harm.
A successful prevention program
incorporates a wide variety of
tools that reach youth and
adults WHERE THEY ARE -- into
the various mindsets, cultures,
and influences.
So, let us support you in your
tireless and invaluable efforts!
CONTENTS OF MAY NEWS OF
HOPE
• PERSPECTIVES FROM
www.drugtestyourteen.com
• Drug Testing Gets a Failing
Grade
• Doctors: School Drug Testing
a Bad Idea
• School Drug Testing: Pros
and Cons of Student Drug Testing
at Schools
• Defending Your Right to Test
Your Teen
Access
to FREE Stuff on our site -
Scroll down LEFT NAV BAR
PHOTOS ABOVE (from left):
Photo 1: Susie at Scotts Valley
High School with fabulous
student leaders who coordinated
the assembly day. Special kudos
to student Shelayne Hammack for
the bulk of the work and the
passion to make it happen!
Photo 2:New Bedford Prevention
Partnership members who
coordinated both an evening
community partner and a full day
Youth Summit on Prevention!
Photo 3:A glimpse at the New
Bedford Youth Summit - 300 teens
fired up to go back to their
various schools and carry the
prevention message
Photo 4:Youth and their parents
at the Evening Community
Presentation in Denton, Maryland
 ADDITIONAL
NEWS FROM LEGACY!!
GRAND MAGAZINE continues to
offer FREE Subscriptions to this
quality magazine for
grandparents of all ages. In
addition, they have asked me to
write magazine articles for 3
issues. The first article is out
in the May/June Issue and is
entitled:
HELP! MY GRANDCHILD IS
USING DRUGS!!
Check
out GRAND MAGAZINE ARTICLE here!
|
|
| PERSPECTIVES
FROM www.drugtestyourteen.com
 "Points
to ponder...we know that
drug testing at home
works, and here are a
few of the reasons...
There is no question
that it is difficult for
many parents to make the
decision to start a drug
testing program in their
home. We hope our points
don't come across a
"hard sell",
but this is something we
are extremely passionate
about because we have
seen the positive
results over and over.
Keeping a child away
from drugs may be the
most important thing you
ever do for them. They
will thank you later.
The threat of drug
testing is a risk that
most kids will
understand. It gives
your teen an acceptable
"excuse" to
say no and removes the
peer pressure to
experiment. HELP YOUR
CHILDREN MAKE BETTER
DECISIONS.
Be honest! Tell your
child that you are
concerned and want to
drug test. It gives them
a reason to talk to you
about drugs, and
provides a socially
acceptable reason not to
experiment with drugs-
"my parents test
me".
John P. Walters,
director of the White
House Office of National
Drug Control Policy,
said "If our
schools and parents were
to utilize recognized,
successful intervention
techniques, including
drug testing, we would
be able to identify
these youth and get them
the counseling and
treatment they need to
turn away from drug
use".
Parents don't like to
imagine that it could be
"their child"
using drugs. Studies
show that while only 18%
of parents believe that
their teen has tried
drugs, 53% of high
school seniors actually
admit to some drug use.
When teens and pre-teens
use drugs, they will
almost always deny it to
their parents! Even when
you discuss the
possibility of drug
testing, the guilty teen
will say, "bring it
on- I've got nothing to
hide".
Every day someone's
child is harmed, or even
killed, by contaminated
drugs or drugs laced
with deadly toxins. In
foreign countries where
marijuana is grown, it
is routinely sprayed to
kill insects with highly
carcinogenic DDT and
other poisons. A child
usually cannot
understand that even
"harmless"
marijuana can give them
cancer or cell damage.
Drinking and driving
killed 17,419 people
last year...
When you see the awful
news stories about
impaired teens hurt or
killed in accidents of
twisted metal, you pray,
"please, not my
child". Make sure
your child isn't
drinking by testing for
alcohol use when they
have been out. The fear
of getting caught and
losing driving
privileges is a sure
deterrent.
Research shows that
youth who smoke
cigarettes are fourteen
times more likely to try
marijuana as those who
don't. Getting a handle
on this "gateway
drug" as early as
possible could be one of
greatest things that you
ever do for your child.
Trust? What a parent
should trust is that
teens are going to make
some bad decisions and
it is the adults job to
stop them any way they
can when that bad
decision can change the
course of their child's
life.
"Young people tend
to be very altruistic
and they think they are
immortal," said Tom
Riley, a spokesman for
the Office of National
Drug Control Policy.
"Telling teens
something is dangerous
tends not to affect
their behavior".
Make it your policy
"NO DRUGS" and
let them prove it.
You are legally and
financially responsible
if your teen wrecks the
car, gets arrested,
needs drug rehab, or
worse. It is your
business if your child
is using drugs.
Check out the
statistics...
According to NIDA
"Monitoring the
Future Study these are
teens that admitted to
drug use:
53 % of the teen
population has tried
illegal drugs.
41% of teens used
illegal drugs in the
past year.
25% used illegal drugs
in the past 30 days.
48% of the teen
population has tried
marijuana.
36 % used marijuana in
the past year.
21% used marijuana in
the past 30 days.
78% have used alcohol.
57% have smoked
cigarettes.
12% have used inhalants.
How many of these
parents said "Not
my kid"?
We live in a world where
drugs are very
prevalent. You can do a
lot to help reduce the
risks and lessen their
chances of developing
any problems with drugs.
Let them know that you
love them too much to
let them get involved
with drugs, and you will
use any tool available
to keep them away from
drugs, including drug
testing in your home.
Try to make them
understand how dangerous
drug use really
is."
NOTE: FREE DRUG TESTS
ARE AVAILABLE TO PARENTS
FROM DRUG TEST YOUR TEEN
through a link on our
website.
--
For
FREE DRUG TEST KITS and
INFORMATION
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LEGACY
offers many helpful resources
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Want
to test
your
teen?
FREE
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MY TEEN
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| Drug
Testing
- Is it
for
Everybody?
 The
Prevention
Blog
Reducing
Underage
Drinking
and Teen
Drug Use
The
Office
of
National
Drug
Control
Policy
descends
upon
Orlando,
Fla., on
Thursday
to host
the
first of
four
“summits”
around
the
country
promoting
random
student
drug
testing.
While
Orange
County
has
resisted
what
Drug
Czar
John
Walters
calls a
“silver
bullet,”
enthusiastic
conference
presenters
will no
doubt
sound as
though
they
have all
the
answers
for
preventing
teen
drug
use, and
backed
with a
federal
budget
upwards
of $9
million,
the push
is on.
As the
mother
of four,
a
National
Institute
on Drug
Abuse
scholar
and
director
of a
drug
abuse
prevention
program
advocating
science-based
drug
education
for
teens, I
urge
Florida’s
educators
and
parents
to be
wary of
“feel
good”
promises
and
proceed
with
extreme
caution
when it
comes to
student
drug
testing,
as it
may be
doing
more
harm
than
good.
Consider
the very
real
pitfalls:
•
Random
drug
testing
has not
been
proven
to deter
drug
use. In
2003,
the
National
Institute
on Drug
Abuse
funded
the
largest
study
ever
conducted
on the
topic.
Researchers
compared
76,000
students
in
schools
with and
without
drug
testing
and
found no
differences
in
illegal
drug use
among
students
from
both
sets of
schools.
In a
2005
report
that
critiqued
studies
touted
by ONDCP
in
support
of
random
student
drug
testing,
professor
Neil
McKeganey
found
fundamental
flaws
and
biases,
saying,
“It is
a matter
of
concern
that
student
drug
testing
has been
widely
developed
within
the USA
… on
the
basis of
the
slimmest
available
research
evidence.”
•
Random
drug
testing
alienates
students.
The
collection
of a
specimen
is a
humiliating
violation
of
privacy
that
already
self-conscious
adolescents
should
not have
to
endure.
• Drug
testing
can have
the
unanticipated
effect
of
keeping
students
from
participating
in
after-school,
extracurricular
programs
—
activities
that
would
fill
their
time
during
the peak
teenage
drug-use
hours of
3 p.m.
to 6
p.m.
•
Random
testing
infuses
an
insidious
sense of
suspicion
into the
delicate
student-teacher
relationship,
which
can
create a
hostile
school
environment.
This is
especially
disturbing
in light
of
research
showing
that
student
connectedness
to their
school
is an
important
predictor
of
success.
• Drug
testing
is
expensive
and
inefficient.
School
districts
across
the
country,
including
many in
Florida,
are in
financial
crisis
and
simply
cannot
afford
to shell
out
thousands
of
dollars
each
year
while
extracurricular
programs
struggle
to
survive.
Gateway
High,
for
example,
in
Osceola
County,
initially
implemented
a
drug-testing
program
but
dropped
it a
year
later
due to
budgetary
concerns.
•
Testing
is not
the best
way to
detect
problems
with
alcohol
and
other
drugs.
Though
it may
provide
a false
sense of
security
among
school
officials
and
parents,
who
believe
it tells
which
students
abuse
drugs,
in fact
testing
detects
only a
tiny
fraction
of users
and
misses
too many
who are
in
trouble.
If we
are
truly
intent
on
helping
students,
we
should
listen
to
drug-abuse
professionals
who know
that
detection
of
problems
requires
careful
attention
to signs
such as
truancy,
erratic
behavior
and
falling
grades.
Some
argue
that
students
need
drug
testing
to help
them say
“no,”
but
research
questions
this
assumption.
The 2005
“State
of Our
Nation’s
Youth”
survey
found
that,
contrary
to
popular
belief,
most
teens
are not
pressured
to use
drugs.
Besides,
if teens
don’t
learn
how to
respond
to the
presence
and
pressure
of the
drug
culture
when
they are
in high
school,
when
will
they
learn?
Random
drug
testing
may seem
a
panacea,
but it
is
fraught
with
social,
emotional
and
financial
problems.
Before
we leap
into a
program
that
uses
students
as
guinea
pigs, we
should
examine
the many
repercussions,
pitfalls
and
alternatives
to
random
drug
testing.
---By
Marsha
Rosenbaum,
AlterNet
Posted
on
January
19,
2006,
Printed
on
January
22, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/story/30986/
Marsha
Rosenbaum
directs
the
Safety
First
drug
education
program
at the
Drug
Policy
Alliance
in San
Francisco.
She is
the
author
of
“Safety
First: A
Reality-Based
Approach
to
Teens,
Drugs
and Drug
Education”
(2004).
View
additional
past
newsletters
on a
wide-variety
of
intriguing
teen
topics
|
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| Doctors:
School Drug Testing a
Bad Idea
 Screening
for substance abuse
often inaccurate and
leads to loss of trust
CHICAGO - Subjecting
children to drug testing
is usually a bad idea
for a host of reasons,
including often
inaccurate results and
loss of the child’s
trust, a leading
pediatricians’ group
said on Monday.
Increasingly, schools
are embarking on drug
testing, particularly of
student-athletes,
following a 2002 U.S.
Supreme Court ruling
that declared the
practice legal.
Parents may also be
tempted by newly
available home drug
screening kits in an
effort to catch the
problem early.
But the American Academy
of Pediatrics, updating
its decade-old policy
statement on the issue,
said screening for
illicit drugs is a
complicated process
prone to errors and
cheating, and has not
been shown to curtail
youngsters’ drug use.
Drug testing also
creates a
counterproductive
climate of
“resentment, distrust
and suspicion” between
children and their
parents or school
administrators, a
committee of experts
wrote in the March issue
of the group’s
journal, Pediatrics.
False-positive results
can arise from eating
poppy seeds or ingesting
certain cold
medications, and test
results may need to be
confirmed with expensive
further testing, it
said.
Many students are also
likely to be aware of
Web sites that offer
methods of defeating
drug testing.
In addition, several
illegal drugs are
undetectable in urine
more than 72 hours after
use, and standard tests
do not detect often
abused substances such
as alcohol, Ecstasy and
inhalants. Some
youngsters may respond
to testing by avoiding
drugs such as marijuana
and instead abuse
less-detectable, but
more dangerous, drugs,
the statement said.
“A key issue at the
heart of the
drug-testing dilemma is
the lack of
developmentally
appropriate adolescent
substance abuse and
mental health
treatment” in many
communities, it said,
noting existing programs
designed for adults may
be unsuitable for
children.
The report suggested
parents suspicious that
a child is abusing drugs
or alcohol consult the
child’s primary care
doctor rather than rely
on school-based drug
screening or home kits
to check their concerns.
---URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17465559/from/ET/
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| School
Drug
Testing:
Pros and
Cons of
Student
Drug
Testing
at
Schools
 There
are many
pros and
cons in
the
school
drug
testing
debate
that is
a hot
topic of
discussion
in
schools
and
amongst
parents,
teachers
and
students
these
days.
Some say
that the
main
purpose
of
random
school
drug
testing
is not
to catch
kids
using
drugs,
but to
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