If you do sports, drama, clubs or any other activities at Lakeland you probably have been drug tested.

Students will get tested for a variety of different drugs, for example, nicotine, marijuana and many other drugs and it will be done at random.  

John Hatcher Lakelands Resource Officer stated, “We drug test for almost everything and we do it at random, and I think that it is fantastic that we drug test because we need to do whatever it takes to keep drugs out of school. 

Hatcher also mentioned, “I think that drug testing is a good way to stop kids from being peer pressured. Drug testing is also a good way to help kids to quit if they are already addicted and we will help if you are addicted.”

Drug tests for students are completely random, we use a software that will randomly choose names of students who are in activities, and we drug test a certain amount depending on our budget for the month. Some students will be drug tested only once and others will be drug tested way more. 

Emma Hinebaugh, a senior said, “I do track and cheerleading, I’ve been drug tested 3 or 4 times. The drug testing is random unless you’ve actually been caught with something, I think drug testing is good for everyone because it shows the integrity of our school.”

Students have varying opinions on if drug testing should be done for students who do school activities.

Jared Rings said, “The only sport I do is basketball, I’ve been drug tested a few times, I don’t think that it’s necessary, but it’s good to have.”

Statistics have shown that about 2 million kids that are under the age of 18 are estimated to be active vape users and 1 in 3 high school students have used marijuana, and 1 in 5 high school students are active smokers. 

It’s easier for high school students to obtain a vape because you can buy them when you are 18, and it’s easy to get marijuana because it is legalized in Washington. Since it is so easy to obtain, students may forget it’s illegal to have and use on a daily basis. 

Drug testing at Lakeland helps to ensure the integrity of our school and helps us to be drug-free, administration and most students would agree that drug testing is necessary to make sure that we are responsible.