By Bill Current, President & Founder

Rapid Hair Testing: Is the Future of Drug Testing Already Here?

This information is provided for educational purposes only. Reader retains full responsibility for the use of the information contained herein.

An indispensable component of any drug testing policy is known as the “purpose statement.” The purpose statement is usually found at the very beginning of the policy and outlines an organization’s drug testing objectives. Being able to clearly state what those objectives are is critical to the success of the overall program for several reasons, but one more than the others.

Why an organization conducts drug testing will, more than anything else, determine how it conducts drug testing. For instance, in a workplace setting, if a company is concerned about workers using marijuana during their lunch break and coming back to the workplace with a high likelihood of being impaired on the job, then oral fluid testing is the best method. Oral fluid tests are capable of detecting drugs in a person’s system within about 10 minutes after usage.

However, in a probation office or some other organization that is concerned about people using drugs in violation of a court order to remain drug free, then hair testing is ideal. Hair tests can detect drugs in someone’s system for up to 90 days after usage. A person may be able to game a system, so to speak, that relies on a testing method with a short window of detection (3-4 days for urine and typically 1-2 days or less for oral fluid). Also, urine tests are relatively easy to subvert by substituting samples or adding something to a person’s urine to mask the presence of drugs. Whereas the only sure way to pass an oral fluid or hair test is to actually stop using drugs.

For this reason, criminal justice or judicial systems, which are concerned about lifestyle drug usage, find hair testing with its longer window of detection and resistance to drug test cheating, ideal for achieving their testing objectives.

Hair testing, which has proven to be reliable, accurate, and legally defensible, has been available for many years. Traditionally, hair testing has been strictly a lab-based test that requires 24 hours or longer before a result is available. That’s okay as long as the organization requiring the test has the time to wait for a result. However, rapid testing is becoming much more popular and many drug testing professionals are predicting that in the future the use of rapid test devices will increase.

In Current Consulting Group’s 26th Annual Drug Testing Industry Survey, co-sponsored by Wondfo USA, 81% of drug testing providers said they currently have clients that use rapid-result urine testing and 54% said they have clients that use rapid-result oral fluid testing. When asked “Do you believe that the use of POCT or rapid-result testing will increase or decrease in the next 3 years?”, 95.4% said it will either increase (67.7%) or at least stay the same (27.7%).

But what about hair testing? If a rapid-result hair test was available would more organizations and companies utilize such technology so they could realize the benefits that are exclusive to hair testing while getting results on-site and within minutes? It is very possible and thanks to Wondfo USA, judicial systems and other entities that rely on drug testing will now have that option.

The SAFElife Hair Processor and Test is part of a wave of new and emerging drug testing technologies that are starting to reshape how drug testing is performed.

“Hair testing is very unique compared to other testing methods,” said Jonathan Sampson, Director of Business Development at Wondfo USA. “It is the only testing method that doesn’t require the collection of a bodily fluid. It is the only testing method that can reveal the presence of drugs for up to three months. And along with oral fluid testing, hair testing is practically impossible to subvert. You can’t give the collector someone else’s hair because the collector is the person collecting the sample from the donor.”

Wondfo USA’s SAFElife Rapid Hair Processor and Test offers the following features:

· A comprehensive test menu of 17 assays

· Collections with results in 10 minutes

· A 90-day detection window

· Being able to detect Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol or “parent” THC within about 10 minutes, giving employers in heavily restrictive states like California and Washington another option in addition to oral fluid testing when screening for marijuana

· A high level of accurate and reliable performance data

Sampson added: “There are many features that make the SAFElife Rapid Hair Processor and Test a crucial tool to safeguard child welfare, improve safety measures, and significantly contribute to the overall efficiency of the justice and rehabilitation systems.”

First-Hand Experience

Someone who has first-hand knowledge of these features is Jessica Graham, Supervisor for Taylor County Texas Adult Probation. She was one of the first people to conduct a pilot program with the SAFElife Rapid Hair Processor and Test. The program worked so well she’s now using it virtually every day.

“During the pilot we did 150 samples,” Graham explained. “And through the course of that, it started as a 5-panel test, then we went to a 7-panel test. It always included your basic meth, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, those drugs from the start. And then we added as we progressed in using the rapid hair test. And now I actually use a 12-panel test.”

Since the success of the pilot program, Graham has conducted more than 2,500 hair tests using Wondfo USA’s SAFElife Rapid Hair Processor and Test. And with more than 20 years of drug testing experience with urine and oral fluid, Graham says hair testing checks all the boxes when it comes to helping her department achieve its drug testing objectives. She says it makes drug-test cheating nearly impossible and the longer window of detection helps motivate defendants to stay drug free.

“I am probably partial to hair testing now,” she said. “It’s not that difficult for people to falsify a urine test. Flushing their system, you know, there’s lots of ways, but hair is just different in that respect. And really, I think people have a misconception that it takes more time. It really doesn’t take any more time to conduct a hair test.”

One way that hair testing saves time is it eliminates the need to match the gender of the collector and donor. “You don’t have to worry about gender,” she said. “As far as me being a female, I can hair test a female or a male defendant. And you’re not in the restroom in an uncomfortable position like you are with urine testing at times.”

Accurate with a Longer Window of Detection

Graham also explained that hair tests are just as accurate as other testing methods, but with a longer window of detection, which makes it easier to help defendants stay drug free. “Defendants will have a negative urine test, but here we conduct hair tests and they’re positive because of the longer window of detection.”

This thwarts some efforts to work the system by timing drug use around the shorter window of detection of urine testing. Graham explained: “For example, someone may use drugs on the weekend and come in Wednesday or Thursday when they know they’re going to be tested and assume they’re beyond the testing time frame with urine testing, but not with hair testing. Hair tests are just harder to beat.”

Another benefit of rapid hair testing beyond its deterrent effect on drug use, is it keeps people who test positive honest about their situation. “With rapid hair testing, the defendant obviously is still here when the positive result is revealed, so we then have a discussion with them,” Graham said. “And a lot of times what ends up happening is we get an admission. You think of it as a tool, a tool to kind of get more information.”

The on-the-spot admission eliminates the need to collect another sample to send to a lab for a confirmation test. However, there are times when a confirmation test is needed. In such situations, another hair sample is collected and sent to a laboratory.

Conclusion

“We’re finding that once someone gets used to the idea of a rapid hair test, they like the possibility of realizing all the benefits unique to hair testing combined with an instant result,” said Wondfo USA’s Sampson. “It’s ideal for situations where being able to identify lifestyle drug use or when deterring drug use over an extended period of time are the objectives. Judicial systems such as probation and parole, family courts, drug courts, insurance testing, and even pre-employment or random testing in safety-sensitive workplaces will find rapid hair testing a good match with their objectives.”

Rapid hair testing may sound like something from the future, but with Wondfo USA’s SAFElife Rapid Hair Processor and Test, the future is already here.

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