Washington State Supreme Court steps in to defend potheads
It seems high school students are somewhat protected by the First and Fourth Amendments, after the State Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that random drug-testing of student athletes (as practiced by the otherwise unimportant Wahkiakum School District) was a violation of the Constitution.
The court ruled that such testing set a dangerous precedent that could some day include random testing for any student.
Some potentially fun future issues arise with this one. It's not a big surprise that the court ruled this way, but it will be interesting to see how school districts try to get around the decision (for example, though the ruling said that there could be no uniform policy on random drug-testing, it left the door open for drug-testing under specific circumstances).
Though many see this as a no-brainer, the comments at the P.I.'s SoundOff page responding to the article give a good indication of how divisive the student drug testing issue really is. I suggest reading through them, as you'll come across gems from both sides of the argument.
And there is more anger over the court's decision than one would expect. Commenter Proud Army Wife wasn't afraid to show her outrage...
... while Arcfault, citing personal experience, espouses the dangers of people who are "smoked out" on marijuana:WHAT?!? Do these people realize how many high school student athletes partake in drug use? The ACLU is slowly letting anarchy reign.
Ah, so someone smoked out on pot isn't a safety hazard? I'm sorry but I've smoked pot and I know what the effects are and I'll be damned if I let someone work with me while they are stoned. My work is too dangerous for me to work with someone who just had to "mellow out".
Guess it isn't just weed smokers who exhibit signs of paranoia.
Though the will of the people on random drug testing remains divided, one thing is clear: pot smoking student athletes are safe...for now. But I'll bet that the state's high court (no pun intended) hasn't seen the last of the student drug test debate.
