BUCKS POISED TO OFFER DRUG TEST KITS TO PARENTS

Bucks County is one step closer to expanding a program developed in
Middletown to offer low-cost drug test kits to parents.

Marge Hanna, executive director of the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol
Commission, told commissioners on Dec. 17 that her agency will work
with community partners to figure out how it could be sold to parents.

Officials have yet to decide which agency will distribute the
equipment, but the program will mimic one started in Middletown a
few years ago. They'll be available in locations throughout the
county at a low cost and include an educational brochure and
parent guide, said Diane Rosati, associate director of the commission.

"It's certainly another tool for parents who might want to deter
drug use in their children or intervene at some point," she said.

The one-step urine tests yield results in five minutes and can
detect marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, PCP, antidepressants and
a slew of other drugs, Penndel District Judge Daniel Baranoski said.

The commission will likely update the brochure currently included
with each kit, "just to be sure any resources provided are accurate
and available to all residents," Rosati said. The commission will
also conduct some additional research to make sure the test being
used is the best one on the market.

"We're in favor of moving this forward as the commissioners are and
we're looking for a county partnership to do this," she said. "Once
the commissioners make a final decision, it should be up and
running within a few months."

Joe Funk, the county's human services director, said he will consult
the county solicitor about liability concerns, in cooperation with
the commission, and the related nonprofit Bucks County Council on
Alcohol and Drug Dependency.

Commissioner Diane Marseglia, who developed the program with
Baranoski, said she would prefer a county agency, like the health
department, distribute the kits.

That way, she said, residents would not have to "jump through hoops"
to purchase a kit or pay more to cover administrative costs. But she
said she welcomed the drug and alcohol commissions' input.

"I think we do need them in terms of the information they can
provide in the pamphlets that are included," Marseglia said.

The program remains popular in Middletown, where Baranoski said 60
kits were sold the week before Christmas. The testing program is
dubbed Parental DUTY, which stands for Defy Use - Test Youth.

The inventory is sold out, but more kits should be available before
the new year, Baranoski said. Prices will temporarily revert back to
an earlier cost - $5 for township residents; $10 for nonresidents -
due to limited supplies.