The Lansing Police Department is handing out free drug tests for parents to test their children.
Lansing police Sgt. Linda Doherty-Wright is working with the program, Law Enforcement Against Drugs, or LEAD, to provide free drug test kits for a month. The program began Tuesday.
"Some parents don't have a clue how readily available drugs are," Doherty-Wright said. "Use of substances is acceptable (among children) in our middle schools."
The kits are able to test for alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, morphine, methamphetamine, opiates, cocaine, Phencyclidine, or PCP, and other designer drugs. The kits come in one and four panel tests. The one panel tests are for alcohol, marijuana and ecstasy. The four panel test cover all drugs.
Doherty-Wright ordered about 200 tests for the initial free giveaway. After the 30 day free giveaway the one panel test will be available for $3 and the four panel for $12.
"To go to Sparrow (hospital) lab it is $100 for a urine test," Doherty-Wright said.
The tests do not require turning samples to testing agencies and return easy to understand results within minutes.
Doherty-Wright said she has already had a positive response to the program, with parents calling for more information.
Working with the drug-free program for nearly three years, Doherty-Wright says there is a lot of need to get kids on the right track.
"I've seen kids 10 to 13 that come before the court on felony charges over these last three years," Doherty-Wright said. "This program came about because of the amount of substance abuse I've seen from these kids."
Along with the drug test, Doherty-Wright also provides educational materials for parents to figure out if their child is using drugs, materials on how to prevent drug use, a list of local agencies that deal with juvenile substance abuse issues and a help line for interpreting test results.
"We are trying to get kids help, not bust anybody or get prosecution," Doherty-Wright said. "We are giving parents a tool to help their kids get back on track."
John Cannin, a recently graduated Dewitt High School student, said free drug tests go too far.
"We should have a right to privacy," the 18-year-old said. "I don't think parents should have so much control."
Dewitt High School student Nick Service, 18, said the bond between parents and their children should be stronger.
"Parents should talk to us," Service said. "It's more about the relationship between parents and their kid."
The drug-free program creator Dave Prichard said in a statement that more then 50 percent of children have used an illegal drug by the time they leave high school.
Drug tests are available at the Lansing Police Department, 130 W. Michigan Ave.
