Review highlights lack of evidence to support random drug-testing in schools

Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow, argues that encouragement for schools to introduce random drug-testing of pupils would be an ethically complex move which might have unintended adverse consequences. His report concludes that:

"In the light of this, it would seem preferable to avoid the ad hoc proliferation of random drug-testing programmes until such time as there are clear data on effectiveness."

The review examines current policy on drug-testing in UK schools and assesses international research – including studies in the United States where drug-testing programmes are widespread and command strong political support. Examining practical and ethical issues, the report finds that:

• Very few independent and rigorous evaluations have been conducted to identify the impact of drug-testing programmes in schools. Where studies have taken place, the evidence that programmes lead to a reduction in illegal drug use is far from conclusive.
• Random schemes only test a small selection of pupils and are most likely to identify pupils who occasionally use cannabis – the commonest type of drug use among young people. They are less likely to help in getting early support to pupils with more serious drug problems.
• Imposing drug-testing programmes could undermine trust between pupils and staff, making it harder to discover whether a positive test is the sign of a significant drug problem, or experimentation. It could also give rise to calls for staff to be tested as well – something teachers and their unions might resist.
• A perverse consequence of drug-testing could be to encourage some pupils to switch from use of cannabis and other substances that can be traced a relatively long time after use, to drugs that are cleared from the body much more quickly, including heroin. Testing programmes could also lead to an escalation in attempts to conceal illegal drug taking, rather than a reduction in use.
• There is little clear-cut information on the cost of drug-testing programmes. Much depends on how many pupils are routinely tested and whether the preferred test is designed to confirm that illegal drugs have been taken, or simply indicate that they might have been used.

The report notes that guidance on drug-testing from the Department of Education and Skills remains cautious about the development of random drug-testing programmes. Schools contemplating their introduction are encouraged to gain agreement from the wider school community and consider whether the costs are an appropriate use of school resources.

Prof. McKeganey said: "It is difficult to judge the true likelihood of drug-testing being widely used in UK schools. Unlike the United States, no central government funding has been allocated for programmes. However, if random drug-testing programmes were to be piloted, there would be an obvious need to ensure that their impact was rigorously and independently evaluated.

"Such evaluation would need to be undertaken on a large enough sample of schools to be sure that any positive or negative outcomes were a genuine consequence of the drug-testing programme. Research would also need to consider the possible impact of a drug-testing programme on young people’s wider educational experience."