Many schools began testing students who participated in sports or extracurricular activities after the U.S. Supreme Court permitted the screenings as a means to curb alcohol and other drug use among adolescents.

But the study, which involved 76,000 students nationwide, found that drug use was just as prevalent in schools with testing procedures as those without a drug-screening program.

"It suggests that there really isn't an impact from drug testing as practiced," said Dr. Lloyd D. Johnston, a study researcher from the University of Michigan. "It's the kind of intervention that doesn't win the hearts and minds of children. I don't think it brings about any constructive changes in their attitudes about drugs or their belief in the dangers associated with using them."

According to the study, 37 percent of 12th-graders in schools that tested for drugs said they had smoked marijuana in the last year, compared with 36 percent in schools with no screening. In addition, 21 percent of 12th-graders in schools with testing said they had used cocaine, heroin, or other illegal drugs in the last year, compared with 19 percent in schools with no drug testing.

Similar results were found for every drug and grade level.

"Schools should not implement a drug-testing program until they're proven to work," said Dr. Linn Goldberg, a professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, who conducted a limited drug-testing study at two Oregon high schools last year. "They're too expensive. It's like having experimental surgery that's never been shown to work."

Other researchers not involved in the study said the findings may suggest that schools are doing a poor job of testing. For instance, they said that the urinalysis conducted by schools could be faulty, the supervision too lenient, or the opportunities for cheating vast.

Despite the findings, the National School Boards Association said that schools should continue to test students. "I'm not saying school districts should ignore that study," said Naomi Gittins, an association lawyer. "I think it's a good idea that schools take a look at that study. It's an important decision that they're making."

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, which helped finance the research along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said it would conduct several more studies before ruling on the effectiveness of school drug testing.

The study's findings are published in the April issue of the Journal of School Health, a peer-reviewed publication of the American School Health Association.

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