Quick fix is wrong fix

Christian Science Monitor: Last week, New Jersey Acting Gov. Richard Codey ordered the nation's first statewide program to randomly test for steroids in high-school athletes across all sports. No question, steroid use is a serious problem, and Gov. Codey has received high fives for his bold move. But his decision was out of bounds.
Not necessarily for legal reasons, since the Supreme Court has twice upheld drug testing of students (including random testing of athletes). And not necessarily for strategy reasons, because steroid testing of NCAA college football players has, for instance, helped reduce steroid use by that group. Pro and Olympic sports also rely heavily on testing to keep play fair.
But just because the practice passes muster with the feds and high-level sports, doesn't make it right for high school teens. These are children (big kids, but kids nonetheless) still under the care of parents and still learning to make their own decisions.
Parents left out
By making random testing compulsory, New Jersey undermines the responsibilities of parents to bring up their kids and teach them right from wrong. It detracts from young people reasoning their way to a moral conclusion about steroid use. And it takes a personal decision about one's own body and a physical exam (either urine or blood, New Jersey hasn't settled on a method yet) out of the family setting and hands it to the state.
Mr. Codey, well-meaning and obviously concerned, admitted to this transfer of responsibility when he announced last week: & quot;This is a growing public health threat, one we can't leave up to individual parents, coaches, or schools to handle. & quot;
Use of performance-enhancing drugs among high school students is limited, but growing. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found 3.4 percent of high school seniors nationwide admitted to using steroids at least once last year.
But the best way to discourage kids from steroids is not New Jersey's plan to test about 5 percent of athletes during post-season tournaments (roughly 500 students a year). The best way is through awareness education, which has been proven to reduce recreational drug use among teens, and emphasis on the virtue of fair play. The New Jersey plan includes a strong educational component. It should stick to that, and forget quick-fix testing.