MORE PARENTS HAVING THEIR KIDS TESTED FOR DRUGS

Typically, parents remain oblivious to their children's drug addictions
until the poison in their bodies affect their lives.

As parents learn more about drugs and their effects, they are taking their
teens to be tested, collection site officials say.

At Corporate Choice Inc., the number of requests from parents asking for
drug screens has tripled in the last 12 months, said Tony Waters, president.

"Parents have gotten Internet-educated and they know what they're looking
for," he said.

The Greenville facility performs drug screens for courts, university
athletic departments and area employers, he said.

Waters said he remembers several tense moments in his office as parents
confront their children with their suspicions.

"I've had a couple of kids actually refuse to take the test in front of
their parents," he said.

Most of the time the kids see it coming.

"Once they see the sign on the door, they know what they're there for," he
said.

The trend coincides with a surge in the abuse of designer drugs and
methamphetamine in Greenville, he said.

Marijuana was still the most abused drug with 12 million users, or 5.4% of
the population, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

Many parents who come to Accurate Diagnostic seeking answers have gotten
wise to prescription medication abuse, said Nina Raddatz director of
operations.

Prescription tranquilizers like Xanax and Klonopin, which can produce
feelings of euphoria, are very popular in teen circles, she said. Pain
killers like Vicodin, Percodan, and Oxycontin are also abused by teenagers,
she said.

As the trend to test children rises, so does the debate over the practice.

Dawn West, 47, said she has never had any reason to suspect her kids would
use drugs. Their family is closely knit and her children are actively
involved in church, she said.

"It may be appropriate for some children, but I would never test my
children," she said as she sat down to lunch with her 17-year-old daughter,
Sabra.

Drug-testing would be a difficult decision for any parent to make, said
Ashley Plexico, 23, who doesn't have children.

"It depends on what type of relationship you have with your parents. It
depends on what they would do with that information," she said.

The trend worries Marsha Rosenbaum, director of Safety First Project of the
Drug Policy Alliance. For starters, there is no research that proves that
testing deters use, she said from Los Angeles.

Testing says 'I don't trust you,' Rosenbaum said, drawing on her experience
as a mother.

Children need close relationships with adults, including parents, who they
care about and who care about them, she said. That is the best defense
against drug abuse, she said.

In most cases, hair testing works best for teens, Raddatz said. A urine
test may be better for marijuana, she said.

"If you suspect the child on Friday or Saturday night and wait around a few
days you may not catch the drug in their system with a urine test," she said.

Most drugs, with the exception of marijuana, are naturally flushed out of
the system within two to three days, she said. Marijuana can be detected
for up to 45 days.

After circulating through the blood stream, drugs are deposited in hair
where they remain until the hair is cut, she said. Because residue is
stored inside hair, products purporting to rid hair of drug residue do not
work, she said.

The tests provide a 90-day history, which is a good way to discover without
a doubt if a child is using drugs, she said.