A leading US pediatrics group has recommended that drug-testing in school should not be adopted to prevent young people from experimenting with illegal substances. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in a policy statement released on Monday said that it clearly opposes randomly drug testing-students because there is not enough evidence to show that the process is effective.

They said that random-testing can also harm relationships between students and their schools. It is also a possible policy breach, the group said.

The Supreme Court nearly 15 years ago established the legality for school-based drug testing for students. Supporters of the practice said that random drug testing in schools discourages students from using drugs.

But according to AAP they don't believe the practice would worth the costs to schools. Author Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Boston Children's Hospital, said, "We want to be really clear about this-this is not pushing schools to the side or saying they have no role. It's a question of what's the best way for schools to be involved".

According to the policy statement from the group, there are insufficient evidences that prove that drug testing programs in schools prevent kids from trying drugs.

Levy said in a statement that in order to find an answer to this question they reviewed several studies. He said that sometimes the tests conducted are imperfect.

Sometimes tests show anxiety-inducing false negatives and false positives, the AAP says. They said that drug tests should be strictly used to find students who may need intervention.

The AAP believes that studies have shown that students are often given severe consequences like suspensions or expulsions that are not followed up by treatment.

Levy says that the goal of the new policy statement is not to stop schools from actively seeking out students who are at risk for drug use, but to weigh the best strategies.