Mexico’s next reform – drug testing in schools

Last week we mentioned that Mexico’s government is planning to institute a “trust test” to police officers as part of a series of reforms by President Felipe Calderon. Yesterday Calderon proposed a new measure that would bring drug testing for public school students. The pilot program would run in 8000 schools and Calderon assured that the testing would need parental consent and would not “punish students.”

The testing is a part of the government’s anti-drug campaign called “Clean Up Mexico!” which was praised by an editorial in Mexican newspaper El Universal:

”The ‘Clean Up Mexico!’ program is made up of a recuperation program, another of safe schools, and yet another of attention towards addicts and mental health. Clearly, the action does not give the impression of being repressive but we must be attentive that it does not occur. Addicts will be attended to and rehabilitated, not punished.”

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, Yahoo! News

Sources (Spanish)- Nuevo Excelsior, El Universal

Image- The Global Perspective