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FG Call for Random Drug Testing in Schools
Read more about: Crime, Fine Gael, Policy
Subject to the agreement of parents and boards of management, Fine Gael would like to see the implementation of random drug testing in secondary schools in Ireland. It is envisaged by Enda Kenny as a disincentive to drug taking and a means of circumventing peer pressure to take drugs in certain areas of the city.
“Parents at public meetings tell me that their children have to walk through drug pushers in certain areas of our cities.
Obviously, this means that drugs are in some schools and people who turn a blind eye to this are not living with reality.”
Bit of kite flying, but possibly a very good idea?
Two thoughts of my own though,
1) in deprived areas where kids are on drugs, attendance at school is not exactly mandatory and knowing that testing is taking place in school could well just finish off attendance altogether.
2)Clearly dealing with drug taking is a two sided effort and any attempt to institute a policy of random testing has to take place in a context of tackling deprivation among young people which feeds in to drug abuse.
Well drugs is not all about deprivation. Kids in well off schools take drugs as well. As for drug testing kids. Maybe we should give them a propor education in drugs first
Then what? If a 14 year old tests positive what will happen? Give him a free laptop to sell to buy more drugs?
My God Mick, you’ve completely seen through us!
Oddly enough I passed a pair of lads on the street in secondary school uniforms on Monday afternoon about 4pm, and one asked the other, ‘are you going drinking tonight?’, and the other lad said ‘nah’. On a Monday in January.
touche simon though I reckon that the dual approach however is the best way of dealing with it. Its preventative and punitive which is the only way to deal with issues like this.
Dan you exactly right which is why this may well be a rich seam of policy for FG
As for the rich seam of policy everything up to now had turned out to be fools gold after you scratch the surface. Kenny isn’t leading the party to a serious set of policies. He has us spinning stories that grab the public attention for the length of time it takes to scan page 7 of the Irish Times. There hasn’t been one country where boot camps worked. There hasn’t been one country that gives free laptops to every child and just to remain consistent the latest policy is a drug control policy that has failed everywhere it has been attempted.
hmm. this wont do any good, it will just treat people as criminals in the public eye. they can still get drugs at any street corner, trust me.
definately wont get my vote, worst idea ever.