May 2, 2008 
My local area paper – West NewsMagazine – has an article in the April 30th edition about Teens and Drugs. I will save my comments for the end here, but I found it an interesting read.
- The company they talk about is TestMyTeen.com. They distribute one free kit to the parents through school and they charge $18.99 for additional kits that test for the 10 most commonly used drugs.
- It says that drug testing gives teens a socially acceptable excuse to say no.
- The article has several people talking about testing before you have a problem as a source of prevention.
- According to the Drug Test Resource of St. Louis which also offers a home drug test kit for $49:
- 54% of all high school students will use an illegal drug by the time they are a senior
- 82% of those that use a drug try cocaine
- 2 of those that use a drug try heroine
- They say that the average age for first drug use is 12.
- The article talks about making it routine and providing rewards for a positive test.
“We should be telling our children that we love them and trust them, but we don’t trust the environment they’re going to be in. In the end, I’d rather they think we don’t trust them than to bury them.” Shelley Kinker, co-founder of Drug Test Resource of St. Louis
“The problem is, you’re not dealing with the issues that caused them to use in the first place and drug testing them might just drive them to use something else, like more alcohol or a substance you’re not testing for.” Tish Fontana, a professional counselor
WOW!! I am not sure where to start. I certainly worry about my kids and peer pressure. Some days, I feel like I want to have software to record their every keystroke on the computer; give them a GPS tracking watch so I know where they are; and eventually have a way of recording the speed and location of the car at all times.
BUT, I ultimately think it’s our duty as parents to teach our kids how to make decisions and enable them to become productive adults. Let me go point by point here:
- Testing for the most common drugs. Great, but doesn’t that just encourage creativity to get around the system…look at steroid use? Isn’t drinking a bigger issue with teenagers? Isn’t abuse of prescription drugs a real issue?
- I can’t see kids (that wouldn’t already say no) using the excuse of being tested to stop peer pressure. And if they do, what are they going to do when they go to college?
- I really can’t see testing my kids at 12 without any reason to suspect they were using. I agree that trust is earned, but don’t we start with the assumption of innocence in this country.
- The age and prevalence of use statistics are scary. I wonder what the frequency of use is.
- Rewarding your kid for not using drugs. How about punishing them for using drugs? Or rewarding them for stopping using drugs.
I care, but I think this is pretty extreme.
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
One of the most common uses of at home drug tests is by parents who want to give their teenager a drug test. Whether their teenager already has a drug problem or they want to prevent one from developing, an at home drug test is a reasonable way to exercise some control over your teen’s activities.
home drug tests have become a fairly popular product over the last five years, and although they are all purchased for the purpose of conducting a drug test, there are actually several different reasons that people purchase at home drug tests.
home drug tests give you the ability to take a drug test in the privacy of your own home. Instead of going through all the inconvenience (and for many, embarrassment) of scheduling a drug test with a laboratory and then going there to take it, at home drug tests allow you to get the same end result without ever leaving your house.
My son is only 14 months, but I have already started to think about what dangers will be out there for him to get peer pressured into. I had no idea cocaine usage was that high in teens. I remember recently reading about prescription pill parties for 14 yr olds where the kids would all bring pills and put them into a bowl, and then pass the bowl around. This is scares me more than my son trying a joint. Drunk driving is also a great fear – either being in a car or driving a car. Again, you hope to teach them well enough to use better judgement, but drinking and drug use impair that judgement.
Didn’t a handful of high school football players die from steroid use last year? In regards to roid use though, wouldn’t someone notice the increase in size and behavior change? I would think there are enough safety nets in place including parents, coaches, advisors, teachers, friends, to notice any sort of drug abuse and comment on it. I haven’t been in a high school since 1992, so I am not really on the pulse of what is happening.
I do like the aspect of a teen using parental testing as an excuse for for not drinking or trying drugs. At least it is a plausible reason, and it allows them to “save face” if necessary. Think of rewards akin to a a great report card or good dental check-up. Escalators can be in place (just like an employer’s wellness program) for each month of not using drugs. Wait, is this a new product idea?
If a child is caught using, the reward could be for every clean test, but if they are repeatedly testing positive, obviously more needs to be done – counseling, rehab, etc…
I’ll get back to you in 12 years when I will really start to worry!