Comments on: Increase In ‘Academic Doping’ Could Spark Routine Student Drug Tests http://www.disinfo.com/2009/10/increase-in-academic-doping-could-spark-routine-student-drug-tests/ alternative views, news & information—online, video and print Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:34:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Emperor_Reagan http://www.disinfo.com/2009/10/increase-in-academic-doping-could-spark-routine-student-drug-tests/comment-page-1/#comment-165 Emperor_Reagan Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:26:41 +0000 http://www.disinfo.com/?p=11029#comment-165 As was pointed out in the article, you might as well ban private tuition in this case. You could even ban letting parents buy healthy food for their kids or letting parents read to their kids - that also creates inequality in education. The idea that a pill, of all the things that affect performance, makes things unfair is ridiculous. It's one of the few things that you actually DO get to choose for yourself. You don't pick your genetics, how wealthy or engaged your parents were, whether your teachers were good, or any number of other factors.<br><br>How about we ban all drug testing instead, except in very narrow windows for which it might post a significant threat of harm to the general public? I basically think drug testing is only acceptable in circumstances like DUIs, for first responder career positions, or for a limited number of other careers like safety officer at a nuclear plant or airline pilots. And I think arguments extending drug testing are particularly absurd when people start talking about what's fair, whether drugs constitute cheating, the legitimacy of a performance, or the integrity of a sport. As was pointed out in the article, you might as well ban private tuition in this case. You could even ban letting parents buy healthy food for their kids or letting parents read to their kids – that also creates inequality in education. The idea that a pill, of all the things that affect performance, makes things unfair is ridiculous. It's one of the few things that you actually DO get to choose for yourself. You don't pick your genetics, how wealthy or engaged your parents were, whether your teachers were good, or any number of other factors.

How about we ban all drug testing instead, except in very narrow windows for which it might post a significant threat of harm to the general public? I basically think drug testing is only acceptable in circumstances like DUIs, for first responder career positions, or for a limited number of other careers like safety officer at a nuclear plant or airline pilots. And I think arguments extending drug testing are particularly absurd when people start talking about what's fair, whether drugs constitute cheating, the legitimacy of a performance, or the integrity of a sport.

]]>