The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, July 11, 2002, Image 9

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Thursday, July 11, 2002
rug testing violates student rights
Expanding drug testing in public schools will not prevent students from using drugs
I!
mokers must
increased cigarette taxation is
:dil
i m!
louse e«'
.sages esct
of
. ihe gatta
ases.
the day ai
r penalties
has engul
cent nionit
cismfortt'm an y f ee ] they are receiving the
larkentiKJ ^runt of responsibility for a statewide
y wrong MH y JL budget problem as they are forced to pay
ivedina' j ncreasec j taxes on t^eir cigarettes. However, ciga-
fjitte taxation is substantially better than the alter-
Sen * natives,
i sed domu
. I pJ several states across the nation have chosen to
'. ia " increase cigarette taxes as a quick solution to pressing budget
'n lawsiiitf e fi c ’ ts - Newsday magazine reports that New York and New
sjty 5 on ib| e rsey have increased tax rates on cigarettes to $1.50 per pack,
aiming l [anc * Washington state currently levies a $1,425 per pack tax,
g to bon* ma king these three rates the highest cigarette taxes in the coun-
try- Other states are following suit.
J New Yorkers now pay up to $7.50 for a pack of cigarettes,
which is double the national average, according to Newsday.
iNaturally, many smokers resent this financial encumbrance and
Iptopk feel that they, as a group, are being singled out and forced to
ASr^& Jrry the burden of responsibility for a fiscal problem that
belongs to everyone.
I The American public has traditionally opposed any signifi-
1 tho${ cant tax increase. Opponents of the cigarette tax hikes claim
JoSSOS' man y P eo pie, particularly those addicted to nicotine or looking
B make an easy profit, will take advantage of loopholes in the
system. For example, cigarettes can be bought online at signifi-
ry Klay 111 cantly reduced prices. Critics also claim raising taxes will
licialWaK increase the amount of cigarette-related criminal activity. The
Washington Post describes one incident of 6,000 packs of ciga
rettes being smuggled between Maryland, which has a 66 cent
have dj ^§ are tte tax, and Virginia, which has a 2.5 cent tax. The ciga-
nent ifl y ettes ar e bought cheap in Virginia, where they are relatively
=>s werej ne xpensive, and then sold in states with higher tax rates, allow
ing smugglers to keep the amount of tax disparity as profit,
add fu £l Maryland Comptroller William Schaefer reported agents’ con-
the ^cation of 154,307 packs of cigarettes worth $594,825 this
said ^ | ear - Maryland recently increased its cigarette tax to a dollar
ior ^ P cr pack and state officials speculate the already high numbers
fif crimes involving cigarettes will only increase,
m, bw £ In U.S. history, increasing excise taxes to meet monetary
pre# shortfalls is nothing new. According to the U.S. Department of
Hous £ the Treasury’s Brief History of U.S. Taxes website, “Congress
0 v kvied excise taxes on distilled spirits, tobacco and snuff,
^ ^ flned su 8 ai \ carriages, property sold at auctions and various
.fifgal documents” to pay off Revolutionary War debts. Congress
lerS JB| S0 chose to levy additional excise taxes in order to raise
itanyrjioney f or the War of igi2. In the wake of funding the Spamsh-
jj^merican War, the taxes on tobacco and beer were doubled.
'in a r if
adds of
n a 5-4 decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court on June 28,
the expansion of drug test
ing into middle or high school
students involved in competitive
extracurricular activity was
deemed permissible. According
to the Houston Chronicle, the court stopped
short of testing the entire student population
on the basis that only the students involved in
extracurricular activities voluntarily submit
themselves to this type of invasion of privacy.
To believe this newly broadened version of
drug testing will deter the drug problem in
school districts is preposterous. Instead,
administrators need to realize this court rul
ing violates students’ natural rights to privacy
and unreasonable search and seizure. Even
worse, it does little to deter students from
drug use and even exacerbates the drug prob
lem by keeping students who experiment
with drugs out of beneficial extracurricular
activities.
A central question of this ruling is
whether or not a minor is entitled to the
same constitutional rights as adults.
According to the Constitutional Rights,
Powers and Duties website, under common
law at the time the Constitution was adopted,
“natural personhood” began at the time of
natural birth and ended with the cessation of
the heartbeat. This natural personhood is
what gives an American citizen legal rights.
Therefore, when a school with no serious
drug problem, or reason to believe a group
of individuals are abusing drugs, implements
random drug testing, students’ rights are vio
lated. The same concept applies when
schools bring in drug dogs to sniff students’
personal belongings.
In addition to violating students’ rights,
the American Civil Liberties Union says drug
testing does little to prevent drug use and
may even have the reverse effect because
drug testing implies school officials presume
all students are guilty of criminal drug use
unless otherwise proven innocent. This is a
poor demonstration of the way our justice
system is supposed to work.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also
opposes random drug testing, and ever! the
testing of student athletes (who are tested for
safety reasons), because it destroys adoles
cents’ needs for confidentiality.and autono
my. They are also opposed to drug testing
because of its inaccuracy,
Drug testing provides a false sense of
security for the parents and community and
does not allow them to attack the root of the
JENNIFER LOZANO
drug problem. Even worse,
broader drug testing could set
into motion a series of cata
strophic events. For example,
say a student who has experi
mented with marijuana fails his
drug test and thus cannot partake
in extracurricular activities. On the off chance
that this student did have a serious drug prob
lem, nothing is done to help him or her deal
with it. Instead, they are ostracized and not
allowed to participate in extracurricular pro
grams that could have leant him or her the
support and leadership was needed. With
nothing else to do, this student may take up
with a different crowd where drugs are
encouraged. Even if a student has succeeded
academically, they will more than likely not
be admitted to a major university because they
were not involved in any extracurricular activ
ities.
Also, according to the website
www.drugsense.org, studies conducted by the
General Accounting Office, the Department of
Justice and the California Department of
Education among others, have proven the
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
program, present in 70 percent of schools,
fails to reach students at high risk for drug
abuse. Instead of implementing drug testing
and other stringent, anti-drug programs that
revolve around scare tactics such as DARE,
law enforcers should focus on preventative
drug abuse programs that center around a
more realistic portrayal of the effects of
drugs. For example, in San Francisco, a first-
of-its kind conference for educators, health
professionals, drug treatment and prevention
specialists, parents and students addressed the
problem of student cynicism surrounding tra
ditional drug education. This program, enti
tled “Just Say Know: New Directions in Drug
Education,” encourages abstinence from drug
use, but provides a fallback approach of real
istic, science-based recognition that some
youthful drug experimentation is unavoidable.
For educators and law enforcers to have a
sincere concern for the drug problem among
America’s youth is a noble cause.
Unfortunately, officials must also realize
that violating students’ right to privacy with
strict, broader drug testing — as well as unre
alistic drug prevention programs such as
DARE — only increases the gap between
themselves and students. In the end, students
are the ones who will be hurt by this disparity.
Jennifer Lozano is a junior
English major.
pay the price
better than the alternatives
MAIL CALL
LINDSYE FORSON
ecurlt)
an
There have always been those who have sought to
get around or take advantage of these laws.
Raising excise or luxury tax rates in times of
financial difficulty is not uncommon for the
United States, and noisy opposition by those most
affected is both predictable and inevitable.
Advocates of the tax increase claim it will
bring about valuable social benefits in addition to revenue. The
Washington Post reports that Maryland’s 33 cent cigarette tax
raise was accompanied by promising statistics. General con
sumption of cigarettes dropped 16 percent, and Maryland 10th
graders were found to smoke 30 percent less. The American
Lung Association cites Dr. Ron Davis of the American Medical
Association saying studies show every 10 percent boost in the
cost of a pack of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by approxi
mately seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by three
to five percent.
Several states have raised cigarette taxes to cope with vary
ing degrees of budget deficits. Tennessee needs an additional
$877 million to maintain current governmental services and
avoid a governmental shutdown, according to Reuters. New
York and New Jersey have $5 billion and $6.1 billion dollar
budget deficits, respectively.
While increased cigarette taxes alone will not generate
enough funds to rid the states of their budgetary problems, they
do make considerable strides towards doing so. New York is
expecting to collect an additional $111 million from the tax
raise, and New Jersey is expecting to make $275 million.
Maryland’s tax increase has been slated to make $101.4 million
over the next year and much of this money has already been
earmarked for school related purposes.
People will almost certainly find ways to avoid or even capi
talize on the tax increase. But periods of high excise taxes have
been part of America’s history since its founding, and the
United States has always found ways to cope with these law
breakers in the past. Fearing the possible illegal activities of a
few is not a legitimate reason for an entire state to sacrifice the
immense financial, social and life-saving benefits that increased
cigarette taxes will bring. Asking Americans to pay a couple of
extra dollars for so-called luxury items in order to help maintain
the status quo of state and locally provided services is not ask
ing too much.
Lindsye Forson is a sophomore
journalism major.
Boycott the circus
Ringling Brothers and Barnum
& Bailey Circus has once again
descended upon College
Station, bringing along caged,
chained and beaten animals to
entertain paying customers. I am
appalled that Texas A&M allows
this animal abuse on its facilities,
and the people of College
Station are interested in viewing
this horrific event. Elephants and
tigers do not naturally stand on
their hind legs or walk on balls -
they do so out of fear. Fear that
the "trainers" will inflict more
pain. Ringling Bros, has a long
history of animal abuse and
trouble with animal advocates.
I would like to ask the people
of College Station and the stu
dents of A&M to show Ringling
Bros, that animal abuse is not
accepted in this city of higher
learning. Boycott the circus, and
show it that it is not welcome
here.
Julie Leslie
Class of 2004
CRUISE
^ Move
i (-U5 t<tC>S okjT
fgrfZfzOfZtST
' Tff^ATS,
Finan
cial 57Arcs Mm?
Co&potzAre
co^vprioM /
Money alone does
not improve schools
In response to Lindsye Parson's
July 9 column:
Forson claims the Cleveland
voucher program poses a severe
threat to the public school sys
tem. Good. The public schools in
most cities produce some of the
most uneducated citizens in the
industrialized world.
The argument against vouchers
is that they take funding from
already under-funded schools.
More money is not the answer
to improving schools. The
answer is more accountability
from both parents and schools.
Parents need to become active
partners in education, ensuring
that homework is completed
and that discipline is maintained.
The schools need to be less
focused on "self-esteem" and
other touchy-feely garbage and
more focused on algebra, history
and verbal competence.
Brian Dear
Class of 2002
Pit? T AHS5 IT OR
QlO H6 OdZZLOOK ALL I
Th£ Profanity, sex
AnP Vioueuce IN
Th£ Movies ?
Cll
l
&