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Evidence that drug testing is an effective deterrent to drug use remains elusive. In this study, investigators linked student drug use data from the Monitoring the Future study (1998–2011) with information about school drug testing policies (e.g., random, for-cause, targeted). Analysis controlling for many student and school characteristics, presence of parents in the home, and average parental education, revealed the following:
Drug testing did not affect substance use in middle schools nor did it adversely affect student participation in athletics or other extracurricular activities in middle or high schools.
Overall, students in high schools with drug testing involving all students had significantly higher predicted probability of past-30-…