Probation and parole officers in Southwest Virginia will begin using hairPSYCHEMEDICS CORPORATION RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE
samples instead of urine samples to test for drug use. Hair samples can
detect drug use over a longer period of time and is harder to foil
compared to urine tests. Radford University and the Department of
Corrections will receive a $50,000 federal grant to compare the two
testing methods in a region from Roanoke to Abingdon. They currently
seek a second grant to expand the program across Virginia.
Massachusetts and New York are the only other states that use hair
samples to detect drug use.
More on drug testing
ON ITS HAIR TEST FOR DETECTION OF OPIATES
Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 13, 2000 – Psychemedics Corporation(AMEX - PMD) announced today it has received 510(K) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its test for the detection of opiates in human hair. This is the first FDA clearance for a test using human hair for drugs of abuse.
Psychemedics’ opiate test is a radioimmunoassay for the qualitative and semi- quantitative detection of morphine in hair for the purpose of identifying heroin use. The use of heroin is detected through a confirmation method that identifies the heroin metabolite 6 – monacetylmorphine (6 mam). This detection of 6 mam eliminates the concerns present in other specimen testing that opiate positives may be due to poppy seed ingestion.
"With the use of heroin on the rise, and the poppy seed problem inherent in other tests, it is critical that professionals have access to hair analysis using our opiate assay", said Ray Kubacki, President of Psychemedics. "We are pleased to have received FDA’s first clearance for hair testing, and intend to submit additional assays in the near future. We believe that FDA clearance of our products will encourage the use of psychemedics’ hair analysis in a wider range of applications."
Psychemedics Corporation is the world’s leading laboratory for the detection of hair for the presence of drugs. Its client list includes over 1,800 corporations (many in the Fortune 500) which use hair testing as part of their drug-free workplace programs. In addition, several of the country’s largest police departments as well as schools and Federal Reserve Banks rely on Psychemedics’ hair testing.
"Clapton Building West Indies Rehab"
Newsday Online (03/29/98)
Musician Eric Clapton has announced plans to build Crossroads, a 36-bed
drug and alcohol rehabilitation center on the island of Antigua. The center
will model the treatment provided by the Betty Ford Center, and will treat
the growing number of local addicts in the West Indies for almost no cost.
Non-locals will pay approximately $9,000 for a 30-day treatment.
According to Anne Vance, the executive director of Crossroads, the goal
is to have one-third of the beds for local residents. Clapton, who owns
two homes in Antigua, will contribute $5 million to the project.
"Drug Study Suggests Parents Out of Step With Kids"
USA Today (04/13/98) P. 3A; Johnson, Kevin
Despite Baby Boomers' widespread exposure to illegal drugs, as parents
they appear to broadly underestimate the presence of drugs in the lives
of their own children. A national study conducted by the Partnership for a
Drug-Free American indicates that even in light of contradictory evidence,
few Baby Boomer parents believe their children have been exposed to
drugs. The study--which surveyed 10,000 parents and kids--revealed
that 44 percent of teenagers admitted that they had tried marijuana,
while only 21 percent of parents recognized their children might have; 60
percent of kids acknowledged they had been offered drugs, while only 38
percent of parents believed their kids might have; and 45 percent of
parents believed their children may have friends who smoke marijuana,
compared with 71 percent of teens who stated they did. Experts in the
field had known there was confusion among parents in the Baby Boom
generation, especially those with experience using drugs as kids, about
what message they should communicate to their own children. Described
as a "conflicted generation" by national drug czar Barry McCaffrey,
parents have been urged to take a more aggressive stance in relaying the
risk of drug use.
More on Teens and Drugs
"A Welcome Reversal On Drug Testing"
Investor's Business Daily (04/16/98) P. A30
The Food and Drug Administration's decision to reverse its ban on home
drug tests is correct, assert the editors of Investor's Business Daily. The
initial 1996 decision outlawing such tests was senseless, the authors
contend, founded on notions that sought to categorize the specimen cups
and shipping materials used in testing kits as medical devices. Comparing
urine specimen cups with sophisticated, heart pacemakers, officials
claimed both were medical devices and equally subject to FDA approval.
The authors maintain that legalizing the testing kits could facilitate
greater parental responsibility, increased parental involvement, and, under
the threat of at-home testing, may even double as a deterrent. Since the
process calls for anonymous samples and distributes results through a
hotline, family privacy and complete confidentiality are facilely maintained.
Unfortunately, it also appears that many parents are simply not aware of
the presence drugs assume in the lives of most teenagers. Citing evidence
from a recent survey conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America, the authors note that despite 44 percent of teens admitting
they had tried marijuana, only one parent in five even recognized the
possibility existed. It is not known how well the kits will sell, but at a
minimum they offer parents a "powerful tool" for identifying and potentially
controlling illegal drug use among children.