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War On Drugs Is War on Teenagers

Author: Jonty Adderley
Saturday, June 8, 2002
The imminent introduction of random drug testing for America's 27 million school children could spark generational conflict, leading civil rights campaigner Graham Boyd told the Observer this week.

"If drug testing becomes widespread the only happy note to come out of the affair would be that it will radicalise young people against the government's so-called war on drugs- they will resent being accused of misconduct when they have done nothing wrong," said the respected ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) lawyer.

"They (US authorities) are turning the war on drugs into a war against teenagers- and it could backfire."

The war on drugs approach was also bizarrely challenged in the UK last week, by The Sun's new youth columnist Emma Jones, who suggested that "taking drugs is a normal pastime for today's children."

"My first experience of drugs was at age 13," she revealed. "Smoking a joint (spliff) was normal recreational activity at lunchtime and after school."

Ms Jones also confessed to sampling ecstasy and magic mushrooms, though pointed out "none of it screwed me up."

http://www.aclu.org
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