RSS FeedConcerned parents worried that their children may be abusing drugs are turning to home drug test kits to monitor their children for potential problems in the hope of keeping them safely away from drugs. Their goal is noble, but medical experts fear that home testing may do more harm than good.
Both urine and hair testing kits are available; but hair testing, though more expensive, has certain advantages. As ingested drugs travel through the bloodstream, drug traces are deposited in hair follicles and remain in the hair as it grows. Hair tests are less invasive, more resistant to tampering and reveal drug abuse over a longer period of time than urine tests. Because hair grows at the rate of 1/2 inch per month, the test asks for a sample of hair closest to the scalp. The rate of hair growth allows the test to detect drug use over the past 90 days. Urine tests are only effective while the body is actively processing the drugs.
A typical home drug test kit provides a specimen envelope, collection materials, instructions and a prepaid shipping mailer. Hair test kits cost about $65 and can be purchased at major chain drug stores and online. The parent places a hair from the head of his child into the specimen envelope and mails it off to the lab. Results are mailed back.
Hair test kits are promoted as a drug deterrent and are advertised as being able to detect the use of amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and PCP. However the possibility of a reading error by lab technicians and potential tampering can result in false results that serve neither parent nor child.
Earlier this year the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement opposing home drug testing. To prevent the possibility of error or tampering, they recommend that worried parents have their child tested by a doctor or addiction specialist experienced in administering drug tests. The Drug Policy Alliance, a national nonprofit agency, expressed additional concern that home drug tests could “tear at the bond” between parent and child.
If you do decide to administer a home drug test to your child, be prepared to seek immediate professional help if the test comes back positive.
