Drug Test Lets Parents Check Up On Kids

[Perception Addict]

DRUG TEST LETS PARENTS CHECK UP ON KIDS

For xxxx US, Hair Sample Is Sent To U.S. With Promise Of Results Online In 48 Hours

Big Brother isn't watching, but Big Mother ( or Father ) is.

Parents can already use GPS tracking devices in cars or cellphones to monitor their teens' whereabouts, and online monitoring tools to track their kids' Internet usage.

Now an American company is marketing a home drug-testing kit to parents who suspect their teen is up to no good.

For xxxx US, HairConfirm can let parents know within 48 hours if their teen is using drugs.

"It can test for seven different drugs -- including amphetamines, cocaine, ecstacy, PCP and marijuana," said Confirm BioSciences CEO Zeynep Ilgaz, whose San Diego-based company posted revenues last year of $2.6 million.

The one-time-use kit provides an accurate drug history of up to 90 days, including frequency of use, said Ilgaz.

"It can tell if the person is experimenting, if they're a recreational user or addicted to it."

About 30 to 40 strands of hair -- "it doesn't mattered if it's coloured, dirty or has gel in it" -- are needed. A lab in Ohio analyzes the hair molecules and results are posted online within two business days.

The kit -- which includes a hair-collection foil and a hair-specimen pouch -- comes with prepaid postage within the United States. Canadian users need to pay for their own postage.

The product, which debuted in June, has sold more than 3,000 kits online. The company has signed deals with Kmart and Amazon and is in talks with Canadian retailers.

Although HairConfirm is aimed at parents, Ilgaz said it has been unexpectedly popular in the workplace.

"We have employers using it to test their employees and employees testing themselves first before they seek employment [in the U.S.]."

Ilgaz stresses the kit isn't meant to be a substitute for parent-child communication.

"[Parents] should tell their kids and they can tell their friends, 'I can't do drugs. I'm being drug-tested.' "

Vancouver psychologist Janice Ebenstiner said such devices can act as deterrents, but she would not recommend using them without the teen's knowledge.

"It's the parent's job to monitor, but it needs to be open and discussed," she said. "Trust has to be built. It's better than having to spy on your kids."

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ne...c-1624092db8cb

[trptamene]

Originally Posted by Perception Addict

About 30 to 40 strands of hair -- "it doesn't mattered if it's coloured, dirty or has gel in it" -- are needed.

I was thinking they would discretely go to your pillow while away at school and get a strand of hair that fell out. 30-40 seems like a lot to try to get off your head at one time, especially if they're trying to get them without the kid noticing

[x cynic x]

Originally Posted by trptamene

I was thinking they would discretely go to your pillow while away at school and get a strand of hair that fell out. 30-40 seems like a lot to try to get off your head at one time, especially if they're trying to get them without the kid noticing

Lol, Swim was getting that notion as well

[jux]

Originally Posted by trptamene

30-40 seems like a lot to try to get off your head at one time, especially if they're trying to get them without the kid noticing

why would parents be worried if their kid noticed or not?

im willing to bet that if someone is going so far as to drug test their kid, they are not going to be that concerned about whether he/she is going to be upset about being tested...

i think the hope is the threat of random drug tests will deter the kids drug use...

[Perception Addict]

Hairbrush, maybe?

[trptamene]

I would think they would not want to confront the child till they have proof, if they show the child they are suspicions by saying "were drug testing you" they give the child the chance to cover their ass and clean their room.

[Euphoric]

Parents clipping teens' hair to submit for drug testing

Some parents are using hair samples to test their teenagers for drug use.

Get a job. Get a haircut. And oh, give me the hair
Dec 18, 2008 04:30 AM

Susan Pigg



Parents who've spent years telling their kids, "Don't run with scissors!" may soon be doing just that, thanks to the new HairConfirm kit.

It claims to offer a "cheat-proof" way to establish with 99.9 per cent accuracy whether your teen is taking drugs or sneaking your prescription painkillers.

By simply clipping and shipping off 70 to 80 strands of your child's hair, cut as close to the roots as possible, San Diego-based Confirm BioSciences promises to deliver results – be they negative or positive – within a couple of business days.

"We've had husbands and wives testing each other. We've seen the kit used in custody battles to prove that one party is abusing drugs. We've even had people test themselves before they go to a drug test," Zeynep Ilgaz, president and co-founder of Confirm BioSciences, said in a telephone interview from San Diego.

"But mostly it's parents testing their kids" – with the exception of about 10 per cent "who just put (the box) on the kitchen counter as a warning sign," said Ilgaz.

About a year ago the company started selling a "standard" home-test kit for $64.99 U.S. in stores and via the Internet. It can detect seven drugs – including marijuana, amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine – as well as how heavily they've been used in the last 90 days.

But it recently launched a new kit, largely at the urging of parents who suspect their kids are dipping into pills in the family medicine cabinet – mainly pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin, said Ilgaz. Selling for $89.99 U.S., it tests for seven illicit drugs and five of the most popular pills among teens.

She touts the hair-test kit as superior to urine home-test kits, which have been fairly widely available for years. The urine tests make cheating easier and only detect drugs used in the previous three to five days, Ilgaz said. She likens them to pregnancy tests which simply give a negative or positive result, saying they don't indicate the severity of the drug use.

While parents have lauded the hair tests as an important new weapon in the fight against drugs – one parent went so far as to salute the tests as a potential "lifesaver" – even Ilgaz doesn't recommend giving your kids a bad haircut while they're sleeping.

"Nothing can replace communication. Your kids have to agree to be part of this. You can't do it behind their back," said Ilgaz. "You want to do it as part of a whole drug prevention effort within the household."

Dr. Claire Crooks agrees that talking is more important than testing, after having spent years working with kids and families struggling with drug addiction as a clinical psychologist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

"It's kind of like reading your child's diary or searching their room," said Crooks. "Parental monitoring is really important – but that means having enough of a relationship with your child that you know who their friends are and what they're involved in and where they're going to be. This is closing the barn door after the horses are out.

"I certainly understand the desperation families can feel," said Crooks, "but this doesn't sound helpful in promoting a trusting and warm relationship."

http://www.thestar.com/article/555360

[xxdan123xx]

K swim was hoping someone could help him out because he couldn't find a thread that directly related to it... swim is going to be tested using a standard drug test bought from a pharmacy like CVS in one week. He will be only tested for opiates. Swim knows this is more than enough time to get the opies out of his system but he is weak and a daily addict who is not ready to call it quits. He will lose his home if he doesn't pass the test. Heres the question. Are these Parental Drug tests any different from pre-employment drug screenings meaning are they any easier to "fake" a negative on. Basically swim would get someone elses urine and use that but was wondering if these tests can tell if the sample is too cold to have come from him. Swim would really appreciate any help but is not looking for the "just stop using" post which he is sure will come as for swim that is not an option at the current time. Please any info on how to pass these generic pharmacy drug tests will be greatly appreciated. Thankyou all.

[Greenport]

I have a revolutionary thought for any parent reading this right now...

instead of drug testing your kid, hows about raising them to be honest, and asking them?

[cra$h]

Originally Posted by Greenport

I have a revolutionary thought for any parent reading this right now...

instead of drug testing your kid, hows about raising them to be honest, and asking them?

with actions come consequences, wether it's a beating, or just disapointment. no teen is going to right away confess their drug use, just because they don't know the concequences. this would only work if the parent was VERY understanding and did literally nothing about drug use, and the kid knew it.

[Matthijs85]

SWIM would be very dissapointed in his parents if he would ever be tested and would be honest about things if they would ask. SWIM would think they should be reasonable and should believe in SWIM's responsibility

[xxdan123xx]

THat's a little naive. Swim considers himself to be honest in every aspect of life aside from his drug use. Most kids arent gonna admit to drug use and "raising you kid to be honest" can be a bit harder than it seems. Im no parent but child rearing is just about the hardest thing a person can do. Just to clarify on the last post is not about his parents drug testing him but a friend who happens to be letting swim live with him.

[Greenport]

Well, sneaking behind their back to find out about their drug use is much worse.

It's like looking for something to get your kid in trouble for. If it's gonna become a problem, the parent is going to find out about it soon enough anyways.

Parents should be able to talk to their kid honestly and openly about drugs. They should be able to explain to their kids what pot is, what it does and why it's good or bad. They should be able to tell their kids what to stay away from, what to be wary of, all that.

It's no different than the sex talk. Maybe you don't have to ask them if they have done drugs (or had sex) but you can explain it to them. It's the parents who fail to give them reasonable advice which have kids that spiral into drug abuse or become pregnant at 16.

[xxdan123xx]

Well swim was never drug tested by his parents and infact he was open and honest about his pot smoking and drinking. But when it comes to the "hard stuff" is when it becomes a legit problem. The child well most likley not child but young adult at this point in their drug use, will lie to cover up this kind of behavior regardless of how open and honest they are with their parents. Swigreenport makes good points in that some parent are so out there and think smoking a joint is the end of the world but in swims experience this isn't really the case in most families. Swiour parents all smoked pot when they were younger, i mean come on it was the sixties seventies and maybe eighties swithey probably did alot worse. So for the most part parents who are drug testing their kids noadays really are more worried about the "life ruiners". I.e. heroin and cocaine. Swim for one wishes his parents found out about his heroin addiction years ago so they could kick his ass, which really he needed and maybe he wouldn't be the hopless dopehead he is today.

[Greenport]

Alright well granted, very few kids are going to be open and honest about most of their drug use, especially when it comes to harder drugs. But a good parent should be able to raise a kid who knows the detrimental effects that some of these compounds can indeed have on their lives. Also, if a kid has a drug problem - usually it is the parent that is the first to find out.

A parental drug test can be warranted if it's already known that the child has a problem, but that is different from what this is saying wherein parents are sending in bits of hair, usually without their knowledge, to find out whether their kid is using. That is going to cause nothing but resentment. The person in question should damn-well know that they are getting drug-tested if they're going to be.

[xxdan123xx]

100% agree with that parents who test without first confronting their kids are way off base. It will surely would result in the kid going back for more maybe even just out of spite. But does anyone know if parental tests are the same as preemployment tests?

[SullyGuy]

If this ever had happened to me, well, that would just about killed my relationship with my parents.

This is a GREAT tool for severing your family into tiny, rebellious, indignant pieces!

[Greenport]

Yeah any kid who found out they were being drug tested against their will would probably start using mad hella drugs just to start a war.

[x cynic x]

Good, one should only use drugs once they are mature enough to understand the full extent of their consequences.