I was following the recent story on Lance Armstrong being harangued by the French authorities and subjected to an unnecessary number of invasive drug tests while training for the Tour de France.

Despite all the tests coming up clean, the authorities tried to get him on a technicality of the test itself.

It got me thinking about drug tests and how more non-invasive tests are needed so that teenagers don't need to cut off locks of their hair or wee in a cup in order to be tested for the presence of drugs.

I mean, who knows any teenager willing to do either of these without a fight?

A common problem

Anyone with a loved one of teen age, is probably pretty preoccupied by these kinds of thoughts. Drugs are a really frightening spectre that hang over these fun and exciting years.

I know for myself that even all those years ago, drugs were pretty pervasive in my circle. With more and more variants on the market, and far more accessibly these days, how do we know when to step in and provide the help and support that is needed for our youngsters, without (possibly false) accusations and resultant recriminations?

I was concerned enough about this situation to do some research. I found out two things. The first is that the education department only has one approved drug test method out of six, that does not require a biological sample from the learner. And yet, their preferred method of drug testing is this one option.

Secondly, I also found out that there is a pretty cheap, accessible and non-invasive drug test available, yet to be used by schools. All it requires is a quick wipe of any surface in contact with the learner, and a spray of some substance.

Within 10 minutes you will know if that learner is carrying any trace of a specific drug residue, ranging from heroin through to dagga.

By deploying this method there are several benefits that I can see:

• It can be done without confronting the learner directly, thereby providing relief to the parents and teachers and there are no battles for trust with the learner.
• It can be done quickly, inexpensively and regularly, in any context. This is non-disruptive for everyone involved and training and learning can continue as usual.
• It can identify whether the learner is actually coming into contact with drugs — even if they are not participating in the drugs. This can highlight a learner at risk, before they fall into the drug trap.
• It can identify the presence of drug residue from something as simple as a cell phone or off the leaves of the plant in your child's bedroom.
• There are no public or private confrontations until there is actual proof that the learner is in contact with drugs — and then the appropriate support and guidance can be provided, depending on which drugs the learner is in contact with.

If you, like me, are concerned about the prevalence and impact of drugs on our teenagers, this stuff is good to know. Now if only the French authorities had used such a method when paying that unprompted call on Lance Armstrong.

You can read all the drug tests approved by the Department for Education in Notice 563 of 2008. The drug test that I found is called Mistral Drug Tests and it is available locally through a company called Safe City Solutions on +27 21 464 4000 and speak to either Dawn Alexander or Mich Nieuwoudt.