Here are a couple frequently asked questions we receive about hair testing and their answers.

What is hair testing?

Hair testing is a drug screening method that uses hair instead of urine or saliva to screen for presence of drug abuse. Hair testing is the only drug testing method that provides up to a 90-day history, allowing testers to screen for repetitive drug use. When compared with urine testing, hair testing tends to provide a greater number of positives due to its longer detection window. Hair testing requires a small sample of hair that is collected under direct supervision without any invasion of privacy. 

What drugs can Blueline Services test for with hair?

Blueline Services’s 5-panel hair test can detect cocaine, marijuana, opiates (codeine, morphine & 6-acetylmorphine,), amphetamines (amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDA), and phencyclidine (PCP). Blueline Services’s Extended Opiates panel adds oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone

How effective is hair testing in detecting drug users?

Labs regularly report finding five times as many users compared to laboratory based urine testing programs.

What time period does hair testing cover? 

The typical length of head hair tested is 1½ inches from the root end. Since the average growth rate of human head hair is approximately ½ inch (1.3 cm) per month a hair analysis covers an approximate 90-day time frame. This time frame is an approximation only since an individual’s actual hair growth rate may vary from the average.

Does body hair give the same type of results as head hair? 

Body hair can be used for testing. However, while body hair is generally acknowledged as representing a more distant time frame than head hair, the approximate time period cannot be identified due to the high variability of growth rates.

How soon after use can a drug be detected in hair? 

It takes approximately 5-10 days from the time of drug use for the hair containing drug to grow above the scalp where it can be collected. 

What is the turnaround time? 

Hair testing results can usually be returned within 2-3 business days.

Does the laboratory wash the hair prior to analysis? 

All hair specimens are washed prior to confirmation testing to remove possible external contamination.

Can external exposure to drugs (marijuana smoke, crack smoke, etc.) have an effect on the hair test results? 

Along with a wash procedure, Laboratories looks for both the parent drug and metabolite (by-product) of drug usage (where appropriate). For marijuana analysis, Labs detects only the metabolite (THC-COOH). This metabolite is only produced by the body and cannot be an environmental contaminant.

Can a hair test be beaten/adulterated? 

Currently there are no known successful commercial adulterants for hair tests and the recommended use of normal hair care products/procedures (shampoos, dyes, permanents, relaxers, bleaches) do not have a significant effect on results.

Do you pull the hair out of the scalp to examine the follicle? 

No. Testing a hair follicle would require a painful collection process. Hair testing requires the smallest sample in the industry, snipping above the scalp. No hair is “pulled” out of the scalp, and the hair follicle is not disturbed. Sample collection is a completely painless, quick procedure

How does hair analysis compare to urinalysis?

The primary difference is the wider window of detection with hair. Cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, and PCP are rapidly excreted and usually undetectable in urine 72 hours after use. Rather than the hours or days covered by a body fluid test, a hair test covers a period of months, ensuring that a drug user cannot evade the test by simply abstaining for a few days. Additional advantages include non-intrusive collection procedures, virtual elimination of test evasion through substitution or adulteration, and greater accuracy through test repetition capability. The combination of an increased window of detection and resistance to evasion makes hair testing far more effective than urinalysis in correctly identifying drug users.

How sensitive is hair testing in detecting drug users?

Comparison studies have proven that hair testing is up to 6-10 times more effective in identifying drug users than urinalysis. In other words, 85% of the drug users identified by a hair test could get through a urine screen and enter the workforce.

Can hair drug tests be run on people with little or no hair?

Yes. Hair can be collected from several locations on the head and combined to obtain the required amount of hair. If head hair is not available, certain body hair can be used as an alternative.

Can hair testing be used for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) testing?

No, the U.S. Department of Transportation has not approved hair testing at this time.

The post Hair Testing FAQs appeared first on Blueline.

Q: What is marijuana?
A: Marijuana is the product of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, containing the psychoactive chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other related compounds. Popular names or bslang for the drug include weed, pot, or cannabis.

Q: How do people use marijuana?
A: Marijuana is typically smoked using rolled paper cigarettes (joints), pipes, water pipes (bongs), and vaporizers. However, the drug is also mixed into edibles and drinks and extracted into oils and waxes.

Q: How does marijuana affect users?
A: Marijuana use impacts the human body both physically and mentally. The “high” from the drug can include distorted senses, impaired judgment, lack of balance and coordination, increased appetite, elevated heart rate, and sometimes anxiety and panic.

Q: How many people use marijuana?
A: Below is the most current data estimating marijuana use.
-The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports more than 26 million Americans aged 12 or older, or 9.6% of the total population, were current users of marijuana in 2017.
-The World Drug Report 2019 estimates that there were 188 million global cannabis users in 2017.
-Marijuana comprised the most common substance use disorder, impacting an estimated 4.1 million Americans in 2017, according to the NSDUH.

Q: Can an employer drug test for marijuana?
A: Yes. There are currently no restrictions (other than New York City which is expected to implement restrictions beginning in May 2020) limiting an employer’s ability to drug test for marijuana, although there may be limitations on permissible disciplinary action that an employer may take if an employee is using marijuana in accordance with that state’s marijuana
laws. In general, state medical and recreational use statutes impact only a very small number of employees in most workplaces. Today, more than 97.6% of all non-regulated drug tests include marijuana in their panel (according to Quest Diagnostics).

Q: What is the marijuana positivity rate for workplace drug tests?
A: The latest Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index ™ reported that marijuana continues to top the list of the most commonly detected illicit substances across all workforce categories (general U.S. workforce; federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce; and the combined U.S.
workforce, which includes the prior two populations) and all specimen types (urine, oral fluid, and hair).

Q: How is marijuana classified under Federal law?
A: Under Federal law, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and is illegal for any purpose. Drugs classified under Schedule I are defined as dangerous with a potential for severe psychological or physical dependence and are considered to have a “high potential for abuse” with “no currently accepted medical value.”

Q: How is marijuana classified under state law?
A: Despite its status under Federal law, states continue to pass legislation regarding permissible uses of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. State marijuana laws are inconsistent and constantly changing. Among other things, these state laws can impact company drug testing policies and procedures, workplace drug testing program administration, and how drug test results are reviewed and handled. As of August 2019:
-33 states and Washington, D.C. have medical marijuana laws
-11 states and Washington, D.C. with medical marijuana have also passed recreational use laws
-14 other states have low THC/high cannabidiol (CBD) laws for medical purposes

Q: How can states continue to pass medical and recreational marijuana legislation if marijuana is illegal under Federal law?
A: Even though marijuana is illegal for any purpose under the CSA, the enforcement of the CSA is within the discretion of the federal government. During the Obama administration, federal agencies, including specifically the Department of Justice, de- prioritized marijuana enforcement in states with medical marijuana laws through policy guidance. Congress has also previously passed statutory budget amendments to limit federal agency enforcement initiatives that interfere with state medical marijuana laws.

Q: How do state laws influence marijuana use in the workplace?
A: The extent of employment protections are afforded to employees in states that have passed marijuana legislation varies widely from state to state. Currently, employees protections fall broadly into four general categories:
1. States with no employee protection.
2. States likely providing no employee protections
3. States with explicit employee protections
4. States with unclear employee protections

Q: If an employee tests positive for marijuana/marijuana metabolites on an employment-related drug test, does that mean the employee is ‘impaired?’
A: No, a positive workplace drug test alone does not equate to impairment. While employment policies often prohibit employees from using drugs or being impaired at the worksite or during work hours, there is currently no drug workforce test (excluding alcohol tests measuring blood alcohol concentration) that can inform an employer as to whether an employee is ‘impaired’ based on the concentration (level) of drugs/metabolites present in a donor specimen. Some state laws explicitly address what can and cannot be considered for determining whether an employee is ‘impaired’ by marijuana, but most do not. Proper guidance and training of employees and supervisors to recognize objective, observable behavior and other symptoms related to drug use are critical for making impairment and reasonable suspicion drug testing determinations.
-Note: Only a handful of states have defined impairment due to marijuana use as it relates to operating a motor vehicle and those levels in blood vary. Currently, there is no consensus on what the standard of impairment is for marijuana.

Q: What are some important considerations in a company policy for marijuana?
A: It is imperative that employers maintain clearly written, and consistently applied, workplace drug testing policies that comply with all applicable laws. Drafting and implementing a written workplace drug testing policy should be undertaken only after consultation with an attorney knowledgeable of the applicable laws.

Q: What are some common misperceptions about marijuana?
A: Common misconceptions about marijuana include that the substance is harmless, not addictive, and lacks long-term effects.

Q: Is all marijuana the same?
A: No. Marijuana has various strains and hybrids, with varying THC levels (i.e. potency). It is grown under varying conditions and is sold in nonstandard amounts at marijuana dispensaries. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), today’s THC concentrations in marijuana average close to 15% compared to approximately 4% in the marijuana of the 1980s.

Q: Is medical marijuana safe?
A: While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several synthetic THC and CBD drugs for use in chemo-induced nausea and epilepsy treatments. Marijuana remains illegal at the Federal level and the FDA has not approved it as a safe and effective drug.

Q: What is the standard dose of marijuana used medicinally?
A: There are no standard safety or efficacy requirements for medical marijuana because the “U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved a marketing application for marijuana for any indication.” In those states with medical marijuana statutes, physicians or other authorized providers may provide a “recommendation” of medical marijuana use, but may not legally “prescribe” marijuana. Synthetic THC (e.g., dronabinol capsule) can be prescribed and is dispensed based on recommended dosing guidelines and the physician’s judgment.

Q: Can someone taking cannabidiol (CBD) test positive on a drug test?
A: Maybe. In laboratory testing, CBD itself would not be confused with THC or its metabolites that laboratories typically test for in a workforce drug test. If the CBD product contains THC at a sufficiently high concentration, it is possible, depending on usage patterns, that the use of these products could cause a positive drug test result for marijuana and/or its metabolites. For example, in two states, CBD may contain up to 5% THC. It is important to remember that for federally-mandated drug tests, the use of CBD or “medical marijuana” would not be considered an alternative medical explanation for a positive drug test result.

Q: Can secondhand marijuana smoke render a positive drug test?
A: There are no published, peer-reviewed studies to date that indicate, even with today’s increased concentrations of THC in marijuana, that someone would test positive due to ‘passive’ or ‘incidental’ exposure at events such as parties or concerts.” The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) concurs, reporting that it unlikely that secondhand marijuana smoke could give someone a contact high after examining research that measured factors such as drug potency, hours of exposure, and room ventilation.

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