HOME DRUG-TESTING KITS ERASE DOUBTS

Increasing Sales Show Parents Want To Know

Moms have a new weapon at their disposal in the fight to keep their kids
off drugs and it involves their offspring urinating in a cup.

Home drug-testing kits have become a popular deterrent for parents looking
for a little help navigating the minefield that is their child's teen years.

"We've been carrying them for a while, but recently -- I think it's the
media attention or something -- they seem to be selling pretty quickly,"
said Ted Marx, a Clinton Township pharmacist. "What's nice about them is
that they're kind of idiot proof. You can't really screw them up and
they're easy to read. I've seen some parents walk out of here with 20 of them."

There are several types of tests, including:

Urine tests available in "dip" form, "cassette" form or "cup" form.

Saliva tests detect traces of drugs in oral fluids of the donor. It is
harder to adulterate these tests because they can be done under direct
supervision.

Hair testing kits provide a much longer detection window and give a more
complete drug-use history.

Spray (sweat) testing kits are not easy to manipulate and are considered
reliable.

Most kits have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The first home drug-testing kits and alcohol Breathalyzers came on the
market around five years ago, but at that time were used mostly by law
enforcement. The tests steadily moved into the workplace and are now
increasingly seeping into family life.

Lisa Pettyes, a Fraser DARE officer, said the kits were initially brought
into the city around four years ago, and they are gaining in popularity.

"For years we were the only ones, but now I understand Sterling Heights and
Roseville have them, too," she said. "It didn't make a big impact at first,
but now as more and more people hear about them they're becoming a bigger
deal. I've met a lot of parents who are very thankful for them."

Pettyes said kits in Fraser can test for marijuana, cocaine, alcohol,
tobacco, methamphetamines and ecstasy. The alcohol test is a swab that
tests saliva -- but the rest are urine tests.

"It's just like a pregnancy test but with this one, the line goes away if
it's positive," she said.

Pettyes said she gives out around three to four of the tests a week -- but
sometimes parents come in and buy 10 at a time.

"I think one of the great benefits of the tests are that they give the kids
another excuse to say no to a friend," she said. "They can say my parents
test me and that's a legitimate reason to say no."

Pettyes said it's not only parents buying the kits. Some are bought by
recovering drug addicts and alcoholics to prove a point to family members,
some are bought by the students themselves to prove to a parent they aren't
using.

In Fraser, the single tests are available for $3 each and the four-panel
tests are $12.

"We try to make them as cheap as possible; we're not trying to make a
profit here," Pettyes said. "These are people that are trying to help out
their kids and we want to help them do that."

For parents who don't want to leave the comforts of their home, online
retailers are also offering a booming business -- especially for those
interested in buying in bulk.

Craig Lee, an online retailer for multiple drug tests, said he sells about
1,400 kits a week -- but the number keeps increasing.

"We definitely hear a lot from people who have specific questions when it
comes to their kids and drugs," he said. "I know a lot of people who are
relieved to have something at their disposal that the kid can't lie about.
These tests don't lie and they offer irrefutable proof for these parents to
confront their kids."

Lee said many parents already have their suspicions about their kids when
they initially buy the tests -- but he believes others buy them merely to
instill "the fear of God" into the kids.

"I think the presence of the tests is good enough for a lot of parents to
exert control," he said. "I'm sure a lot of parents would have loved
something like this when they were sure their kid was high on pot but
couldn't prove it. I know if I ever have kids this is something I'm
interested in."

Online tests cost about $14.95 for single-drug models and $29.95 for
five-drug models. Hair drug-testing kits retail for around $65 each.

A mother -- who only wanted to be identified by her first name of Connie --
bought one of the tests at a Clinton Township CVS for the first time last
week. She said she read about them online and jumped at the chance.

"I don't think (her daughter) is but I just want to make sure," she said.
"I know what I was doing as a teenager and I don't want her to do the same.
I guess it's a case of do as I say, not as I did. It will just help me
sleep better at night."

Drug kits are available at drugstore chains including CVS, Rite Aid and
Walgreens.

Anyone interested in purchasing a kit in Fraser may do so by stopping in
the records department. For more information, call (586) 293-1614.