Brian Prince's letter in the July 20, 2002 Mobile Register should be a "wake-up call" for adults in Mobile regarding the use of illegal drugs by children. I thank him for continuing the debate and urge other citizens to express their views. Parents need to discuss this subject at PTA meetings, School Board meetings and meetings at their places of worship.

Brian's letter suggests the following:

• It's "human nature" for kids to want to "catch a buzz."
• Drug testing has made little or no difference in the use of drugs in this country.
• You can't test for drugs because they only stay in your body for 24 hours.
• We don't really have a drug problem in Mobile.

1) Drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. are illegal for children (human beings under the age of 18). They should not possess, use or distribute illegal substances. It is NOT OK to "get a buzz" using any of them. Children need to find another way to get high without breaking the law, risking their future and perhaps their lives.

2) Drug testing of adults has made a MAJOR difference in our country. During the 1970s over 25% of the adults in the United States were using some form of illegal substance. Drug testing started in the military and other large organizations primarily because many employees were using drugs and were, therefore, unable to do their jobs without injuring themselves or others. Drug-testing programs are now a routine way of doing business in most large organizations, and these tests have been proven to drive the use of drugs from epidemic proportions to less than 5%. Twenty million fewer adults use drugs now than 30 years ago.

3) Many chemicals remain in the body for periods longer than 24 hours. Some drugs, like marijuana, can stay in the human system for six weeks or more. Additionally, hair testing can identify which chemicals have been used for 90 days. Voluntary drug testing is available through the Drug Education Council in Mobile seven days a week if parents are willing to take a sample from their child on the weekends. Drug-testing kits are available in local drug stores for use by parents at any time. If more parents would face up to the fact that their child might be experimenting with dangerous substances there would not be a need for random drug testing outside the home (see www.drugeducation.org for more details).

4) We have a MAJOR drug problem in Mobile. We are a port city with two airports and two interstate highways running through it. Meth labs are springing up all over Mobile, and marijuana is grown on farms in Baldwin County. It would be a miracle if we did not have a drug problem here. Our children are being tempted by professional drug smugglers and dealers on a daily basis. Without strong parental guidance and discipline, many of them (over 50% in some areas) will fall prey to these dealers. Some will die young and some will descend into a life of crime and jail. Over 70% of the crime in Mobile is related to drugs in some way.

The University of Alabama has conducted studies of children in the Mobile area for several years. These reports clearly show that over 57% of those surveyed indicated marijuana use, and over 70% used alcohol (both illegal substances for children). National studies, such as "Monitoring the Future", show that over 40% of the high school seniors surveyed used illegal drugs. Dozens of other organizations have reported similar results; yet many adults either don't care or don't understand the consequences associated with children breaking the law by using and selling drugs.

Does drug testing of children work? Sure it does! Hundreds of private and public schools are doing it across Alabama and the rest of the United States with great results. Should we do it in Mobile? Why not - we have tried everything else with little or no success. Surveys show more children use drugs now than they did ten years ago. Teenage drinking is rampant. Kids are smoking on every street corner.

A properly established and administered random drug-testing program can be started in the Mobile County School System for less than $500,000 per year. That is less than $10 per child. The school system's general budget for 2003 is over $324 million. Why should our school system be burdened with this responsibility? Because it is the only logical place to implement it. It is the "home away from home" for over 60,000 children, and it can provide a structured and standardized approach to this major problem we all share. It might even help increase test scores and improve morale and discipline. Wouldn't it be nice to know that your child was attending a drug-free school in a drug-free community?