Forensic Hair Testing Opiates

[AGB]

Hi,

swim is new here but is in a tough spot. swim took a hair drug test for work that showed up positive for hydrocodone. The employer said swim tested positive for regular, recurrent use of narcotics. However, swim only took 2 vicodin about 5 weeks before the test. They got 3.5 cm of hair. swim's questions are the following:

1) Can forensic hair tests determine the amount of hydrocodne used? And if so , how reliable are they with regards to dose (not just positive or negative)?

2) Are 2 vicodins enough to show up positive for a hair test for opiates?

3) swim promises that in the past 6 months swim only took 7 total vicodin but the reason swim did not mention it is because swim was told 3.5 cm is only hair length long enough for 3 months of tracing. So, is that true that the 4-5 vicodin swim took in the prvious 4 months should not be detectable or is that not true?

Thank you very much for any help you can offer.

[AGB]

I should mention that at first they only did a regular hair test and then sent it off for gas-chromatography, which is when they started saying it was "regular and recurrent". A forensic psychiatrist tells me he is not sure if even gas-chromatography can give you specificity to say something is regular and recurrent, thus it could be that the investigator is just full of it. However, I am not certain and wanted to see if anyone here might have more insight into this question. Again, it is not the positivity/negativity of the test that bothers me so much but rather how they are framing it as "regular and recurrent". We think they may be using that verbiage to simply intensify the perceived egregiousness of my use but again, I am not certain of this. The investigator is known to be unscrupulous and to word things in a fashion that adds heightened severity to the results. If he has over-reached, then he might be guilty of exaggerating a report for unethical purposes. Thank you again.

[Ilsa]

he sounds like an ass, the way your friend described him...not a lot of advice here, apologies. however, please read the rules, particularly regarding self-incrimination and use swim (someone who isn't me) or my cat, friend, dog, chair, whatever instead.