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Pros & Cons to Drug Testing for Extracurricular Activities

Many people remember the episode of the television show "Seinfeld" in which the character Elaine tests positive for use of opium because she has been eating poppy seeds. Though this is unlikely to occur, there are instances when drug tests return positive results for a banned substance the subject never ingested. The occurrence is rare, happening only about 1 to 2.5 percent of the time, but traces of those legal drugs can trigger a positive reading for illegal substances. This is sometimes the case with weight loss supplements, Vick's inhalers, pseudoephedrine, naproxen or dextromethorphan. If you are trying to protect participants in extracurricular activities or protect your organization from potential lawsuits, drug testing may be worth the risk.

  1. Invasion of Privacy

    • The most significant downside to drug testing for extracurricular activities is the invasion of privacy. The civil rights aspect of drug testing has been an ongoing issue for years, and for an activity participant, there is a lot of sacrifice just to participate in something that is meant to be fun. Drug testing can inadvertently reveal a person's risk of genetic disease, pregnancy or legal drug use, all of which can be embarrassing or just too private to share with others. The testing process is humiliating, too. Participants are required to use the bathroom while a lab technician listens and sometimes watches.

    Expense

    • Drug testing is expensive and not only because you have to pay for the actual test. If you are managing an extracurricular team and someone is dismissed for drug use, he will need to be replaced for the team to continue. In addition to replacement expenses, the test itself must be administered and processed at a lab. In a time when schools and community organizations across the country are facing budget cuts, it can be tough finding the money to perform drug testing.

    Reducing Risk

    • Though there are downsides to drug testing, the intention is to protect people from harm and prevent the organization or school from being held accountable for an accident or injury. If a drug-related incident occurs during an organized extracurricular activity, it can be devastating for the program. Other participants might be physically or emotionally injured and questions will be raised about the ethics of the program. Unfortunately, when someone is found guilty of drug use, his peers will be judged, too. Parents, administrators or community members might assume one user is a sign of a drug problem in the program.

    Setting Standards

    • Sometimes, just the threat of testing is enough to curb drug use. Unlike drug testing in the workplace, where a person depends on their paycheck, the threat of a drug test for voluntary activities may be enough to discourage users from participating. If someone knows his drug use is at risk of being revealed, he may never take an interest in the activity, even if a test is never actually given to participants. In other cases, if a person is motivated to participate in an activity, he will stop using, resulting in a healthier lifestyle overall.

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