You Test Positive for Drugs

Testing positive for drugs can have major consequences, like getting fired from a job, not being hired for a job you want, or being suspended from your sports team or other school activities.

Drug testing has become a fact of life at many high schools¹. It also impacts job applicants and employees of companies choosing to maintain a drug-free workforce. Drug testing has also become an essential part of collegiate sports.

Can my school really test me for drugs?

Drug testing in schools has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled to allow suspicionless random drug tests for all middle and high school students who take part in competitive extracurricular activities.

In a 2002 Supreme Court case (Board of Education of Independent School District 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls, 536 U.S. 822, 825), the majority stated that “…all students who participate in competitive extracurricular activities [are required] to submit to drug testing.”

These activities are considered a privilege, and students must follow school policies if they want to participate in them.

What are the benefits of drug testing?

There are many advantages to drug testing, for schools and for students. The benefits to schools are obvious—reducing student drug use keeps schools safer and improves school climate. Kids who take drugs are more likely to get poor grades and be involved in negative behavior—such as bringing knives and guns to school, assaulting other students, and disrupting the school environment². Also, students who play sports may hurt themselves or others if they are under the influence of drugs.

What are the benefits to students? Many kids support drug testing¹ because it gives them and their friends a good reason to say "no" to drugs. Also, random student drug testing promotes a safer school environment, which makes it easier for all students to learn and develop their potential. Drug testing is a deterrent for students' drug use and can help kids who are thinking of experimenting with drugs reject them.

Drug testing is not meant serve as punishment. It’s a way to identify students with a confirmed positive drug test for referral to drug assessment, counseling, and treatment services. Schools refer to their student drug testing policy, which requires that all drug tests are treated confidentially and specify the specific consequences the student will face with a positive confirmed drug test. Usually, the student’s participation in the extracurricular activity or sports will be temporarily be suspended. A student with a confirmed positive drug test can’t be suspended from academic classes.

Want to learn more about student drug testing? Visit the Student Drug-Testing Institute Web site for the latest news and information about drug testing in your state or school district.

Can you “beat” a drug test?

Some people think about interfering with a drug test by using substances to adulterate urine, dilute samples, or distort results another way. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, "most of these masking products do not work, cost a lot of money, and are almost always easily identified in the testing process.

But even if the specific drug is successfully masked, the product itself can be easily detected, in which case the student using it would become an obvious candidate for additional screening and attention."¹

How long does marijuana stay in your system?

Marijuana remains in a user's system for a period of time after it is used, and drug tests will confirm marijuana use days, and sometimes weeks later.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), THC is rapidly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after you’ve smoked marijuana. But in heavy users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they’ve stopped smoking marijuana.

Source Information

¹“What You Need to Know About Drug Testing in Schools,” Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), 2002

²2008 National Survey on Drug Use & Health: National Findings, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, September 2009