SCHOOLS
It’s become an unfortunate fact of life that many users of drugs get their first experience while still at school. Not only are drug pushers are highly persuasive to school-age kids, but teenagers often see trying drugs as an opportunity to push boundaries and try something daring. And in many cases, the dealers are often students as well, selling drugs to their peers to fund their own habit or working for crime syndicates.
After handling drugs, an invisible trail of residue is left on surfaces that are touched. You can’t see this residue but you can test surfaces to see if any of it is there (which means you don’t need the person who is leaving the residue behind to be around when you test it).
A surface test allows you to conduct a initial, indicative test, discretely, on items that the drug users have come into contact with, rather than testing the person themselves.
Testing can also be carried out to determine whether drugs are being consumed on school premises. If students are becoming addicted, even if the signs aren’t obvious yet, it’s highly likely that they’ll be needing a ‘fix’ during the day. If drugs are being used, surface testing will allow a school to know which locations are preferred so that additional surveillance can be deployed to these areas.
Surface drug testing can be carried after school hours, using the D4D PenTest, if drug use is suspected. This allows schools to discreetly test items that suspected users and dealers have come in contact with, such as lockers, bathrooms, keyboards, or other equipment.
If students know that drug testing is carried out, this may act as a deterrent to them possessing or using drugs on school property.