FREE DRUG TESTS BY POLICE RAISE ACCURACY WORRIES

PORTLAND -- Two years ago, Molalla became the first city in Oregon where
parents could get kids suspected of illegal drug use tested free by the
police.

Civil liberties groups don't like it, but state groups representing police
chiefs and sheriffs say they want similar testing in 10 more Oregon cities
beginning early next year.

They say the quick-result urine tests used in Molalla offer parents
effective, early intervention to combat drug use. Molalla police report
that 82 of 110 youths screened in the past two years tested positive.

But some experts say the tests' efficiency -- providing results within
minutes -- comes at a cost.

Lab studies of the Roche TestCup used in Molalla and similar devices show
the tests miss or falsely identify drugs in many instances. That is reason
enough, toxicologists say, that parents should always get results confirmed
by more accurate and more expensive lab tests.

Forensic toxicologists, such as Kent Johnson of Metro Lab in Portland, say
there is evidence to suggest quick urinalysis tests should be used as
"screening devices only," not as the final word.

A study published this year showed the Roche TestCup and similar tests
missed or falsely identified the presence of marijuana, methamphetamine and
other drugs in urine samples. A study ordered in 1996 by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services of 15 quick tests shows several of
the tests can have accuracy rates as low as 60 percent.

Johnson said over-the-counter medications containing antihistamines or
pseudoephedrine, found in allergy and cold medications, also can affect
test results.

Makers of the onsite tests say the study sample was too limited and argue
their tests perform adequately when used properly.

Toxicologists agree the sample size was small, but say the results reflect
what other studies have found. Furthermore, they say, lab technology is
more accurate.

Technology inside the lab -- specifically a process called
gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry -- has an accuracy rate of 99.9
percent, according to toxicologists interviewed by The Oregonian newspaper.

But Roche officials, who say their tests correctly identify the presence of
drugs in more than 96 percent of urine samples, also say the big labs are
concerned that the popular test kits are squeezing their profits.

Police think the tests are accurate enough. The 10 cities in the pilot
program will be announced in January, said Kevin Campbell, executive
director of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police in Salem.

The group, along with Oregon State Police and the Oregon State Sheriff's
Association, plans to finance the program initially, asking cities to seek
local money thereafter, Campbell said.

Questions about the accuracy of the quick tests surfaced last summer after
police groups announced plans to adopt the Molalla program.

Chief Rob Elkins says officers in Molalla, a community of 5,400 in southern
Clackamas County, take no action against children who test positive, and
that test results are kept confidential. National police groups have said
they are unaware of any other free drug testing in the nation conducted by
police.

Elkins said his department will continue the program, despite concerns from
groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union that police might target
children who test positive.

In all cases where children test positive, officers encourage parents to
seek professional counseling and get results confirmed by labs, Elkins
said. Still, when children admit they have used drugs and "if we have a
test that shows positive, I don't really see a need for the confirmation
test," he said.