"Don't let your friend be dead wrong. Test your friend before it's too late" is the message attached to the test strips being distributed by the state Department of Public Safety. A card is also included explaining the consequences of underage drinking.

"This is the first step of an aggressive campaign to creatively educate youth," said Michael Frias, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. "We need to compete with the well-funded alcohol advertisements to prevent unnecessary alcohol-related fatalities among youth."

Although some parents are praising the testing kits, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) are against the program. They said the self-tests undermine their message that underage drinking is illegal.

"You are saying it is illegal to drink, yet you are giving them a strip to test for alcohol. I don't think it is appropriate," said Jan Blaser-Upchurch, MADD state chairwoman.

Jessica Smith, SADD state coordinator, added, "I think they will use them as entertainment, no doubt in my mind, not as a deterrent. But it will be part of the drinking game, not the solution. The students who need them won't use them."

In addition to the test strips, the statewide campaign includes a series of offbeat public-service announcements.

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