Say ‘Yes’ to Drug Testing and ‘No’ to Drugs
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| John Walters, Director, National Drug Control Policy, presents Christine Bottles with an Anti-Drug Community Action Award. |
As a four-year varsity athlete and participant in numerous extracurricular activities ranging from choir to National Honor Society to the school newspaper, I have associated with teenagers from all walks of life. While their circumstances are different, many have the same destructive, even deadly, habits: drug and alcohol abuse.
I support random student drug testing because I care about my peers. No one should become a slave to drugs or alcohol in order to achieve social acceptance or numb pain. No mother or father should open the door at 2 a.m. to a police officer bearing the sad news that their son or daughter was killed by a drunk driver.
High school students have a right to a safe learning environment and community, and random student drug testing is an effective way to combat this epidemic. I have seen enough potential squandered and lives ruined. It’s time for educators to equip their students with a tool that provides prevention and intervention. My desire is for schools across the country to say “yes” to drug testing to give us a way to say “no” to drugs.
Christine Bottles
Senior, Jamestown High School
Williamsburg, Virginia