One of the issues that schools thinking about random drug testing will want to consider is the ongoing cost of the scheme.
When we published our paper on the subject the costs weren’t clear, but there is now data from the Home Office which gives a guide:
The following key findings emerged from the analysis of the economic cost of drug testing.
- Set-up ranged from about £7,000 in Site 2 to around £35,000 in Site 3.
- Running costs ranged from around £10,000 in Site 2 to about £44,000 in Site 3.
- The unit cost of a drug test ranged from £57 in Site 3 to £121 in Site 4.
- The unit cost of positive tests ranged from £1,219 in Site 1 to £2,431 in Site 2, reflecting the low proportion of tests that were positive.
While these costs may not be directly comparable with the costs a school would have to consider – as they are taken from a paper evaluating the impact of the Drug Interventions Programme pilots for children and young people – they don’t seem out of line with other figures I’ve seen quoted.
Filed under: random drug testing
