HOME DRUG TESTS READILY AVAILABLE

If you thought your mom looking through your sock drawer was a major
breach of privacy, just imagine her picking a hair off your shirt and
sending it away to the drug lab. For parents trying to find out what
their teens are doing, home drug testing may be the ultimate snooping
device. With a home drug-testing kit, a parent can get the 90-day drug
history of his or her child from something as simple as a piece of hair.

What can hair drug tests detect?

Marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamines and PCP.

How much do they cost?

Around $59.95, depending on the company.

How do they work?

"Drugs which are ingested circulate in a person's bloodstream which
nourishes developing hair follicles. Trace amounts of drugs become
entrapped in the core of the hair as it grows out from the head,"
according to Home Health Testing, a company that offers hair-testing
kits. Once a parent collects a hair sample (from a pillow, hairbrush,
child's head and so forth), they can send it into the lab where it is
analyzed. Results are given to the parent by phone.

How long does it take to get the results?

The parent can usually call within five business days, depending on
the company.

For how many days after use can substances be detected?

The drugs are detectable five days after use, and remain detectable
for 90 days, according to Home Health Testing.

How accurate is the hair test method?

The test is 95 percent accurate, according to Home Health
Testing.

According to D. Bruce Burlington, M.D., in a statement made before the
House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce in 1998, "Many
scientific questions remain, however, about the effectiveness of hair
testing for detecting drug use, including: identifying which drug(s)
can be detected in hair, how much drug use is required to establish a
detectable level in hair, how long a drug or its metabolites remains
in the hair, how to account for environmental exposure to drugs, and
how to control for these factors. In addition, we know that dark hair,
curly hair, blond hair, and dyed hair react differently, thus creating
questions of equity among ethnic groups and genders."

What other methods are available?

Breath tests are available to detect alcohol. Urine and saliva tests
can be used to detect various other drugs (the detection period is
typically shorter with these methods than with the hair test).

How are parents supposed to use these tests on their teens?

Home Health Testing encourages parents to give tests randomly, in
conjunction with a family drug and alcohol policy.

Where to go for more information on the ultimate snooping device (just
a taste of what's available to any nosy parent).

Here are some Websites that include information about home
drug-testing kits:

samsha.gov (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration)

home-healthtesting.com

proveitinc.com

dxtdrugtest.com

To find information about the kits from the Department of Health and
Human Services try this site:

www.dhhs.gov