Parents from the Northern California town of Alturas are concerned for their children’s futures. These rural citizens are worried about the excessive marijuana use by teenagers in their community, and (cough, cough) because of the rising concerns, students have begun to confess to their parents about their secret habits.
Modoc County school board officials voted on whether to take action one step further in allowing its public schools to expand drug-testing policies. The district asked for permission to test all of its 300 high school students, regardless of whether the students are suspected of using drugs.
Luckily, school district trustees abandoned the idea in fear of violating numerous civil liberties.
So even after the kids were prepared to make arduous efforts to mask the infamous Mary Jane side effects, school official tossed the idea out of the window.
(There goes the stock for Clear Eyes and Visine.)
This means the homecoming queen, the prom queen, the teacher’s pet and the academic champion would have been subjected to random drug tests any time the school counselor saw fit.
No warnings. No second-chances. No exceptions.
The unfortunate side of this local (and national) debate is that the school officials seemed to be fairly serious about passing this bill. (Inhale, exhale, cough, cough.)
“We may have more of a drug problem than the community down the road or less of one, that really doesn’t matter to us. Whatever it is, we think our problem needs addressing. The question is how to do it,” superintendent Kevin Jolly of Modoc County told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.
Still, should these parents remain so vehemently concerned about their children’s potential marijuana use? Are there not other ways to encourage children away from recreational drug use?
Instituting an active DARE program would probably prove most beneficial for the town’s “delinquents.” Even though membership to the town’s Future Farmers of America organization would suffer, people would probably realize that sobriety is more of a priority than farming.
But if this is the worst drug the children of Alturas use, the parents do not have much to worry about. Their children’s futures will be OK.
Honestly, most kids dabble with the “green weed” at least once in their lifetime, and it would be socially humiliating for an entire family if an innocent teenager was punished for an irresponsible action he indulged in just once.
Baring a social stigma for the rest of adulthood is an excessive consequence for partaking in a little after school enjoyment, especially if the activity took place off of school grounds.
Believe it or not, the parents of the community are not afraid of taking a position in the front lines of America’s debate over illicit drug use. But statistics have shown that illicit drug use has not even become a problem in this town, with only 28 percent of the students admitting to marijuana use in their lifetime.
That means that less than 200 of the students have indulged in hot-boxing their best friend’s parent’s car. Big deal.
In the grand scheme of things, is this town’s drug “problem” something to be extraordinarily concerned about? Could the town’s money and support not be used for something more constructive?
County officials should analyze this fact: In a town of only 9,500 residents, two Alcoholics Anonymous programs are up and running. Apparently, some of the county’s residents like to sip the booze, and those same parents happen to be pointing their fingers at their children for having a substance abuse problem.
Ironically, the parents of this county are the one’s the county should be concerned about.
If the kids of Alturas County are ever required to take these random tests, I invite them down to Southern California where the hash pipes and Mary Jane go hand-in-hand with the bright sunshine and good times.
Ryan MacDonald, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at macdonar@ulv.edu.
