The Argus Lite (a Brighton newspaper) run a sympathetic piece about a company which hires out drug dogs to businesses and schools:
Niall, a former door supervisor, has previously worked with schools on drug education programmes and said drug dogs are used in schools.
He said: “It’s a sad thing to say but schools are considering the use of dogs like Solo because they have drug problems.
“We go round schools routinely once a month and support what the headteacher wants to do. With that information we can educate parents and say this is a good school’.”
The guidance produced by the DCSF has this to say to schools contemplating using a company like this :
In deciding whether to use these approaches, schools will want to consult with local partners, including the police. It is essential that before a school takes the decision to use one of these strategies, it should consider very carefully the factors outlined in Appendix 10.
Sniffer dog demonstrations/educational visits
If sniffer dogs are to be used for demonstration or educational purposes schools will need to have procedures in place and have agreed in advance with the police what will happen should the sniffer dog indicate a trace on a pupil, member of staff or visitor to the school.
The purpose of demonstrations or educational visits should be made clear. Demonstrations/educational visits should never be used surreptitiously as a detection exercise.
Appendix 10 makes it clear that schools should seek the permision of parents (in writing) before using this tactic, should be aware of the Human Rights Act, be aware of cultural issues (Muslim and Buddhist cultures see dogs as unclean), and think about how they will handle the pastoral and press issues should a positive identification be found.
Filed under: sniffer dogs, Brighton
Drug Education News 
This is nothing more than an attempt to desensitize students, get them use to being controlled by the government and employ yet another useless scare tactic. It will not help reduce drug use or addiction. The only effective methods of dealing with drugs include honest accurate drug information for all, regulated adult use instead of prohibition and medical treatment for those with addictions. Do you want to really decrease drug use or put on a dog show?
It’s time to remove all the politicians that promote prohibition.
How many more lives have to be needlessly devastated or lost?
Prohibited drugs are way easier for kids to get than regulated drugs!
Prohibition never works it just causes crime and violence.
The USA spends $69 billion a year on the drug war, builds 900 new prison beds and hires 150 more correction officers every two weeks, arrests someone on a drug charge every 17 seconds, jails more people than any nation and has killed over 100,000 citizens in the drug war.
In 1914 when there were no prohibited drugs 1.3% of our population was addicted to drugs, today 1.3% of our population is still addicted to drugs but there’s way more crime and violence because of the huge profits prohibition generates. Drugs today are more potent, more readily available and less expensive than they were in the early 70’s when Richard Nixon started the war on drugs. Every time you look at the news you see more and more drug busts involving bigger and bigger quantities of drugs, not less and less… doesn’t that call for change?
“Jury Nullification”, learn more here: http://fija.org If you are called for jury duty and you don’t agree with the law the person is charged with, you have the right to vote not guilty, no matter what evidence is produced. Jurors implementing this right in all non-violent drug cases will shut down the ridiculous laws of prohibition. One juror in each case is all it takes. The bottom line is a juror has the right to judge not only the accused person but the law the person is accused of breaking. Don’t be intimidated stick to your position.
There’s only been one drug success story in history, tobacco, by far the most deadly and one of the most addictive drugs. Almost half the users quit because of regulation, accurate information and medical treatment. No one went to jail and no one got killed.
The right; to freedom of religion, free speech, a free press, to keep and bear arms, to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure, to life, liberty and property, to be protected from having your property taken by the government without due process of law and without just compensation, to confront the witnesses against you, to be protected from excessive bail, excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment, to vote and many others have been denied to millions of Americans in the name of the drug war.
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Dogs in schools brings dogs into disrepute. There is legitimate reason to have grave concerns regarding this practice. Where every note in circulation carries residues of cocaine and cannabis is so widely available even to adults it is all to easy to detect in almost any scenario especially at the near molecular trace levels a well trained dog can detect either of these or other substances. This leads to false positives where the consequences, especially amongst peers, let alone determined authority eager to justify its ‘protectionist’ role. This is a dangerous social practice in which the unintended harms are rarely quantified. It portrays ‘students’ as being under suspicion where there should be none, and sends the message to youth that “all their peers are doing it” when this is a false and misleading impression. Of course, authority is reluctant to acknowledge that they are [ever] part of the problem.
I applaud the insight given the comment “how they will handle the pastoral and press issues should a positive identification be found” – this is a very valid concern, made all the more crucial in the case of false positive.
I recommend anyone who shares these concerns to visit the website that covers drug education and youth and the booklet available there written by Prof. Rodney Skager “Beyond Zero Tolerance” for a Safety First approach to education and drugs. http://www.beyondzerotolerance.com
Blair Anderson, Director
Educators For Sensible Drug Policy,
http://www.efsdp.org