The message is clear: If you are going to use bond to stay out of jail while awaiting your day in court, you better not use drugs.

That is the simple, yet we hope firmly effective, message that Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Charles Cooper sent last week when announcing changes to the court’s policy.

Now, Cooper’s court will switch to mandatory drug screenings at all pretrial hearings for individuals who are free on bond.

They will also have to bring any medications they are prescribed so court officials can verify that these drugs are being taken properly and at the correct dosage.

We applaud Cooper for adopting this approach because it serves as a strong notice to defendants that staying drug-free is one of the requirements for staying out of jail.

The old system of random tests works, somewhat, but this takes the guesswork out of it and allows the judge to see who is serious about turning their life around and who simply talks a good game in order to keep their freedom a little longer.

Of course, there are always individuals who will try to beat the system and find ways to use drugs, yet still pass the test.

That will never change.

However, better — and more frequent — testing will increase the chances of catching violators.

Our legal system is set up to give a fair trial and to allow individuals who want to abide by our nation’s laws to remain free as long as possible, until proven guilty of a crime.

But we also must make sure that those who do not make an effort pay the appropriate penalty and are taken off the streets as quickly as possible.