preview

Persuasive Essay: Random Drug Use In High Schools

Decent Essays

Students are obligated to do so much today; Good grades, especially in AP courses, along with all of the sports, pep band, clubs, and jobs. Although, as children in a first world country, these obligations are available to students instead of dreamed for. Often growing unbreakable bonds within these groups, students grow more within themselves in these groups than they will sitting in any classroom. The integrity of these extra curricular activities is being degraded substantially by the profound use of illicit drug use. To combat this issue, many high schools have implemented a random drug testing policy, a very advantageous program that selects random students who take advantage of the extracurriculars from athletics to driving to partake …show more content…

However, students today are facing obstacles that potentially hinder their growth as a person before it can even begin. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the use of illicit drugs has increased over the last decade due to the growth of popularity of marijuana, which is in part credited to the overall casual attitude towards the possible harm of drugs such as marijuana and alcohol when abused. (High School and Youth Trends. (n.d.)) This trend can slowly ruin the student’s life if continued. As a sibling, I have watched my brother, once a 4.0 student, slowly fall down the path of drug abuse. I step back today and realize that if this testing strategy had been utilized during his career as a student, he would have been much more likely to either quit, or never start in the first place. Not only does this common substance abuse terrorize the future of the student at fault, it also distracts the students they surround everyday in the classroom setting. (NLCATP) As a student, a direct correlation between the people that impede on other’s learning can be observed with the students who are allegedly involved in these illegal activities. There is an implied assumption that these actions may contribute to the obstruction of learning in the classroom setting. These drug tests will not only handle the student’s drug abuse issue before it can permanently affect …show more content…

This article answers the questions of the possibility of disciplinary action as well as why a school should test a student in the first place. The author continues to explain that no disciplinary actions are taken against the guilty student, which backs the claim that schools are testing only for the advancement and betterment of the students. The writer also mentions reasons to even test in the first place, short term and long term. Short term attributes to the support of testing include the child making uncharacteristic decisions due to the suppression of reasoning caused by the illicit drug use. Long term offenses include poor academic performance, depression, and social and familial issues. (NIH, 2014) Familial issues can destroy the family unit, causing a riff in the anchor of most children’s ever-changing lives. My family has been through many sleepless nights and emotional moments pertaining to my brother’s problems, and it is saddening to know that people are against a major step to combat these situations from spreading into other households. These students can only be helped if someone tries to help, as most do not see the substance abuse as a problem; They see it more of an oasis in the desert that is their daily life. This means that, without the outreach of faculty and

Get Access