cannabisnews.com: Police-Administered Drug Testing Program For Teens





Police-Administered Drug Testing Program For Teens
Posted by FoM on July 16, 1999 at 08:54:49 PT
NORML's Weekly Update News
Source: NORML
July 15, 1999, Molalla, OR: A Molalla Police Department program that encourages parents to bring in their children for free drug testing will likely expand statewide this year.
The two-year-old program, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, screens participants at police headquarters for various drugs, and reports its findings within 15 minutes.   NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre criticized the policy. "Parents intent on evaluating their children's excrement for evidence of past drug use can go to any major drug chain store and purchase a private drug test, rather than expose their children to the criminal justice system and its structural infirmities," he said.   The Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police recently voted to expand the program to 10 other cities.   State ACLU Director David Fidanque questioned the confidentiality of the program, maintaining that police could eventually target participants who test positive. "I think [this issue] ought to be between kids, families and their doctors," he said. "Parents should not expect the government to be parents to their kids."   The Molalla program uses urine samples to detect drug metabolites, but does not confirm positive results or allow independent labs to review their findings.   For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Litigation Director Tom Dean, Esq.   (202) 483-8751. http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml#story1Related Drug Testing Articles:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/drug_testing.shtml
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