Random Teen Drug Testing The Rodziwan family lived a block over from my family in Hempfield township PA. They had a son named Jeremy, he was a great kid, straight A’s, all-star football player, active in Eagle Scouts, and worked in the family business. A child any parent would be proud of. Until one Wednesday night he went out with some friends and over dosed on heroin, there was no reviving him. What no one knew was that he became addicted to heroin eight months ago; if only his parents would have suspected something they could have tried to help him. Unfortunately, there were no signs with Jeremy; he just seemed like such a great kid. The schools in our area have begun to randomly drug test students whose parents allow it starting in 6th grade. Many parents are in an uproar about this, “not my kid” they say. I think every parent should take advantage of this amazing opportunity that the school district is providing them. It’s time to wake up, open our eyes and realize that 33,000 teens die each year because of drug over dose. If your child’s school is offering at home random drug testing, take it, even if you think your child never would. I believe that there are great benefits to this and they outweigh anything that could be viewed as a downfall. The average age to try drugs for the first time is thirteen or 7th grade. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009) almost two-thirds of all teens have tried drugs by this age. I think it is pretty much common knowledge that drug use often starts in teen years. I just don’t think people realize that it starts so young, so often. Science shows that the younger you are when you start using drugs; the more likely you are to become addicted later on. Let’s face it no one knows a drug addict who is doing well for themselves. Addiction is a strong and powerful disease that is almost impossible to overcome.