Drug policy consultation ends

Consultation on the Otago Polytechnic's proposed new drug and alcohol testing policy has closed after the students' association sent its submission on the policy last night.

Otago Polytechnic Students' Association student advocate Mark Baxter, who helped co-ordinate the association's submission on the policy, said a major concern was ''that [the policy] applies to students more or less in all courses''.

''We don't think that's reasonable or justified,'' he said.

''We think it should apply only to students when, for example, they're using machinery or in a safety-sensitive area.''

The association also addressed the means of testing - a urine test - in its submission, because urine tests were ''totally unreliable'', Mr Baxter said.

''They aren't a test of intoxication or impairment, they're a test of `has this person got the drug in their body from using it previously','' he said.

''I don't think that's a fair or accurate way to judge if a student is safe, just because they have used the drug in the past.''

The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) also made a submission on the policy.

When the polytechnic's consultation on the policy began last month, the policy included random testing, which TEU president Sandra Grey slammed as ''highly invasive'' at the time.

Polytechnic organisational development director Matt Carter confirmed random drug tests would not be part of the final draft of the policy.

Mr Carter said there had been eight formal submissions and five informal submissions on the policy.

He said the polytechnic hoped to implement the policy early next year.

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