February 24, 2003
Mr. Armen Keyeyian
Correspondent, Real Sports
Home Box Office, Inc.
1100 Avenue Of The Americas
New York, NY 10036
Dear Mr. Keyeyian;
On behalf of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association, (DATIA) I would like to comment on the recent story concerning student athlete drug and alcohol testing that aired on Real Sports. DATIA is an 1,100-member association representing all segments of the drug and alcohol testing industry, and we strive to provide comprehensive education to the industry and the public on industry recognized standards of service as well as work on behalf of our members best interests. The story that aired on February 11, 2003 contained many false statements making it clear that no representative from the industry was consulted to provide the “other side” of the story.
Scientific studies have shown that drug and alcohol testing is an effective deterrent to drug and alcohol use. The purpose is not to catch a student athlete using drugs so that they can be punished, but rather to deter them from using drugs in the first place. National surveys show that drug and alcohol abuse is a nationwide problem reaching children from all walks of life. Throughout a person’s life many actions are taken to prevent disease or adverse actions – vaccines are given to prevent disease, searches are performed at the airport to prevent illegal items from being taken on board, student athletes must take a physical to ensure they are healthy enough to play sports, etc. Drug testing is no different, and the United States Supreme Court has recognized this.
While many are supportive of drug testing as a measure to prevent drug and alcohol use by children, the understanding that certain standards must be followed is also recognized. For example, the student on the show talked about not wanting to “pee in front of someone”. The drug and alcohol testing industry recognizes that this is unacceptable and has advocated not using direct observation collections as part of its position statement on student drug testing. It is important to understand that those involved in student drug and alcohol testing have the children’s safety, dignity, and potential first and foremost in their thoughts at all times. This is not a punishment program, but rather a program to ensure that the students grow to be productive adults capable of reaching their full potential.
I encourage you and your researchers to read more details on the industry’s position and work on student drug and alcohol testing at
http://www.datia.org/resources/leg_reg_review.htm#stud. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact me at 800-355-1257 or lshelton@wpa.org.
Sincerely,
Laura E. Shelton
Executive Director
Resources
Current, William. Why Drug Testing?. Coral Springs, FL. 1999
DeLancey, Marci. Does Drug Testing Work? 2nd Edition. Institute for a Drug Free Workplace. Washington, DC. 1994
Johnston, LD, O'Malley, PM, Bachman, JG. Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Washington, DC. 2002
Normand, J., Salyards, S. and Maloney, J. An Evaluation of Pre-Employment Drug Testing. Journal of Applied Psychology. 1990.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. What You Need to Know About Drug Testing in Schools. Washington, DC. 2002
