The study was conducted by sociologists from the University of New Hampshire on a little over 1200 teens from the Miami-Dade public school system.  They found that teens who smoked pot and later moved onto other illegal drugs did so less from a “gateway effect” and more because of  ”life factors such as employment status and stress” (fromPhysOrg.Com).

Another look at the drug in the image above: Heroin

The study suggests that unemployment, stress, and family situations are greater predictors of whether someone will smoke marijuana AND use other illegal drugs.  These factors are not much of a surprise, really, if you think of drug use as a form of escapism.

Education seems to play a role too.  The lack thereof may not cause the problem, but drug use and an incomplete education occur together.  Race was a predictor as well – non-Hispanic whites were the most likely to move onto other drugs, while Hispanics and then African-Americans were the next most likely groups to do so.

All these factors aside, the study does not entirely count out marijuana’s “gateway” effect – they note that the effect may exist during the teenage years, and fade away by the age of 21.  Perhaps not totally reassuring to parents of teens.

There are other studies (such as this one) that suggest marijuana is a gateway drug, chemically, to other drugs, such as heroin.  Science is always a lively back and forth.  And it is important to highlight two of the major factors here, unemployment and stress.

Americans certainly aren’t strangers to unemployment these days.  If your teen seems stressed and/or unemployed, as a parent be sure to be sensitive to this.  If you are worried about substance abuse, you can always use a home drug test to check and test for several drugs at once.  As the article points out, drugs can be a sort of self-perpetuating problem – if you are busted for illegal use, the stress factors that contribute to drug use increase, getting a job becomes harder, etc.  And there is no stress that’s quite as stressful as drug addiction.

Image of marijuana and heroin above by Home Health Testing.

But let’s change things up a bit and first look at the criticism!

The Main Criticism For Hair Drug Testing

The one specific criticism for a hair drug test is that it is relatively more expensive as compared to any of the other methods. And this applies to the home drug testing kits as well as laboratory tests that are done.

A hair drug test should also not be performed if you are looking to catch drug use in the last few hours or days. The drug takes about a week to grow out to where the hair can be cut and used by the lab and therefore use can only be detected after that gestation period.

In addition to that, acquiring a hair sample as close to the scalp as possible is not something that you can do without the knowledge of the drug using person. 100-120 strands of hair are required. You can collect from different parts of the scalp (so don’t worry that you are going to look like you’re missing a huge chunk of hair) but you do need a sufficient sample. Collecting hair from a hairbrush may seem like a viable option but it has its own disadvantages and is not recommended. The hair could be from an indeterminable time frame, could not be from the person you are trying to test, and it could be impossible to gather all the hair so the root ends are gathered together, which is how the sample must be submitted. Again, it’s not recommended by Home Health Testing, and tests utilizing such samples often cannot be analyzed and refunds and replacements in this situation are not provided. However, with the exception of a substance test, you cannot administer any other type of drug test (urine, saliva) “in secret” either so it’s not really a criticism of the hair drug test per se.

Advantages Of Using Hair Drug Testing

A hair drug test is far more foolproof than any of the other tests. Some advantages of hair drug testing are mentioned below.

- Cheat proof – Hair follicles are less susceptible to tampering as compared to urine samples. Urine samples can be diluted or switched out. However, when the drugs enter the hair follicles, it is near impossible to wash them off with shampoo or chemicals, despite what some fly-by-night operators claim.

- Sample collection – Sample collection of a hair follicle is relatively easy and can be done by anyone. There is no expertise required in acquiring a sample. A hair drug test can usually be performed on any hair sample that is taken from the head or the body. So you can’t get away with drug use by shaving your head (the only test we sell that does not accept body hair is the PDT-90).

- Large range of drugs – Hair drug testing can ensure that a large variety of drug classes can be detected using the same test. Cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, amphetamine, opiates like codeine, and prescription drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin can be tested using a hair follicle sample.

- Detection period – Hair drug testing can detect drugs up to 90 days after abuse. Urine and saliva simply do not come close to that.

So while hair drug testing is relatively more expensive, it is the best option if you need to detect the presence of drugs more accurately, comprehensively and especially if you are not sure of the time of drug abuse.  As you weigh your options, consider the pros and cons of hair drug testing and decide which is right for you.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

Spice works like marijuana. A chemical in the spice mimics the activity THC has in the brain.  This results in a marijuana like high, with the same symptoms.  The potency of the drug varies across brand.

Some states have banned the drug, including Iowa.  Kansas and Missouri are trying to categorize spice with marijuana in terms of legality and involved fines (see this CBS news report for more).

What do you need to know?  Well, if you are concerned that someone is using spice, you cannot at the moment buy a home drug test for it.  There’s no doubt new technologies will develop in the next few years to test for it, but at the moment no hair, saliva, or urine home drug test can detect it.

However, the Redwood Toxicology lab did just recently come out with a urine-based lab test for it.  While not as convenient as a home test, it is the only current method of detecting spice use.  To learn more call 1-800-255-2159 or visit their website (Redwood Toxicology) to learn more about how it works.  We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop as far as how soon the test will be available on the instant drug test market, and if you have any questions, let us know!

Picture by Schorle via Wikipedia.

With such high coincidence levels of drug use and illegal activity, it is only obvious that testing for drugs in prison is a regular routine.

Current Drug Testing

Saliva drug testing is still not as widespread as urine drug testing. In most cases the samples that are used are blood or urine, both of which have issues in terms of collection. While obtaining the blood sample requires the use of a needle increasing chances of infection, the urine sample needs to be obtained in the presence of an official. The blood sample also needs to be collected by a trained professional if the process has to be done correctly. Having to urinate in a cup while someone is watching is uneasy and distasteful. In contrast, a saliva drug test requires a saliva sample that can be obtained extremely easily. For a large organization that spends a lot on drug testing, you can imagine that the resources saved by switching to saliva would be pretty significant.

The Saliva Drug Test

A comprehensive saliva drug testing study was conducted by the Center of Human Toxicology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. One of the most interesting finds of the study was that not only does a saliva drug test indicate the presence of illegal drugs the concentrations in saliva also correspond to blood concentration, something that can help in developing benchmarks.

There are various benefits of saliva drug testing. The most important of these is the ease with which the sample can be obtained. The process is clean and the saliva sample can be collected by spitting or collection in a dental swab. And with this easy sample, illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine and amphetamines and more can be detected.

Challenges in Saliva Drug Testing

Collection of saliva is far easier than urine or blood. However, it does have its share of issues. Tampering of the sample used for drug testing is a common aspect of prison testing. It is therefore imperative that a test be developed to check the level of dilution that may have been done to a tampered sample.

While these small adjustments need to be made in saliva drug testing, it is only a matter of time when these challenges and issues would have been met and resolved. In that case, moving onto a saliva sample for inmate drug testing would be an easier, more comfortable and less taxing task for the prison staff and management.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

Adderall has seeped into public consciousness over the past 25 years.  As a drug to deal with ADHD, it has been very popular and is frequently prescribed.  There are two types – IR and XR (instant release and extended release, respectively).

Its misuse is also well known.  It is a popular study aid at many colleges to help students stay up and finish studying or writing a paper.  Some athletic organizations have banned its use.  This is a category of misuse one might call “performance enhancement.”

Lindsay Lohan’s example, however, shows the real danger of the drug, which is after all just amphetamine, or speed.  A doctor specializing in addiction suggests “people who take Adderall when they don’t need it can experience similar effects as people who use cocaine or methamphetamine.” (source: TMZ via Jezebel) The story is that perhaps Lindsay Lohan was misdiagnosed with ADHD, and Adderall has not been having its intended effect for that reason.

Adderall can work wonders for someone with ADHD, but for those without, it can create cocaine-like highs and cravings. Dr. Marc Kern says (at the Jezebel link) “Adderall can be a godsend for some with ADHD, it can also in some cases cause mania, hallucinations, paranoia, and “believing things that are not true.” If you scan the comments to the article, you will find plenty of anecdotes about Adderall’s misuse, and plenty of comparisons to cocaine.

With prescription drugs, we may feel a false sense of security, but they are designed with specific medical issues in mind. I don’t take Advil when I don’t have a headache. It’s important to remember the power of prescription drugs to affect our behavior and our health – in both positive ways (for those with prescriptions) and negative ones (for those without).

(If you are concerned that someone you love has been abusing Adderall, please check out our Adderall Drug Test page, where you can purchase a safe and reliable home drug test).

Part of this program is regular drug testing. It’s an important way for a counselor to understand and keep track of a client’s progress in treatment. We highlight it here because it is such a well constructed drug testing program.

The Philosophy

Urine drug testing is used in the Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment for People with Stimulant Use Disorders among other drug testing methods like the blood test and the breathalyzer for alcohol testing as a tool that can be used to help clients abstain. These tests are used to record and later study valuable clinical data that can help in studying the patterns.

Crack cocaine - a drug commonly tested for by rehab counselors.

Drug testing helps in recovery by
- Discouraging the client from resuming substance use
- Providing information and data
- Providing the client with objective data, especially in case of denial
- Giving indications when the therapy needs to be modified and changed to get better results

Management of Urine Drug Testing

There are specific protocols that should be followed to ensure that urine drug testing used for drug recovery is not based on mistrust between the client and the counselor. Here are some of the details.

Schedule – While urine drug testing may’ve been conducted in a random manner earlier, the practice has been replaced by regular and periodic tests that ensure that it becomes a matter of routine. However surprise tests should also be done after high risk days like payday and weekends or missed appointments and unexplained behavior.

Sample tampering – It is not uncommon for clients to tamper urine samples. It is important to inform the client about the process that is followed when a tampered sample is suspected. The fact is that a tampered sample most likely indicates drug abuse and therefore the issue needs to be handled with care. The topic should be discussed in private and no jokes should be made about the event to relieve tension. In extreme cases, the sample collection will need to be observed, something that is uncomfortable for the staff and embarrassing for the client too.

Positive drug test results – If a positive result is obtained in urine drug testing, there is a need to reevaluate what happened around the few days before the positive results. The client should be given a chance to explain and it should be noted that acceptance of a slip is a positive indication that aids therapy. Discussing the validity of the urine drug testing should be avoided completely. A counselor might need to increase the frequency of testing or change the course of the therapy depending on the situation. Complete denial and aggressive behavior should be handled with care too.

Drug testing is a tool for both the addict and counselor alike in their quest for treatment. The “Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment for People With Stimulant Use Disorders (IOP)” is a great example of a drug testing program. For more information, please check out SAMHSA’s website, or download the Counselor’s Treatment Manual (warning: PDF), which expands on the general points made here about the drug testing regimen they suggest.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

Treatment for high cholesterol involves eating a diet that is low in cholesterol and possibly taking medications. It may however cause other disorders, like coronary heart disease, which can result in surgery.

While there are no specific symptoms that you can see when someone has elevated levels of cholesterol, the condition can cause other diseases to occur. This is why it’s recommended that adults get a cholesterol test (full lipid panel) at least once every 5 years. Some of the conditions that can be fostered by high cholesterol are as follows:

Coronary heart disease – Cholesterol is significantly related to CHD or coronary heart disease. As the cholesterol levels increase, they block arteries and do not allow oxygen and nutrition to reach heart muscles that pump blood. As a result these muscles are unable to perform their function properly, resulting in chest pain, something that can ultimately lead to a myocardial infarction – aka, a heart attack – if the problem is not brought under control.

Some complications of high blood pressure.

Stroke – As the blood supply to the brain reduces due to narrow arteries a stroke becomes more imminent. Sometimes a vessel may burst if the narrow passage cannot sustain the pressure with which the blood is pumped.

Hypertension – High blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol are linked. As the cholesterol plaque and calcium narrows the passage way, the heart works harder to pump blood to ensure that it reaches all parts of the body. This results in abnormally high blood pressure.

Peripheral vascular disease – This is a condition that refers to the blood vessels other than those related to the heart and the brain. As fatty deposits start to occur in the peripheral vessels, issues related to the limbs may start to occur as well.

Prevention of High Cholesterol

Prevention of high levels of cholesterol can significantly reduce the chances of getting the aforementioned diseases. And prevention of high cholesterol is best done by controlling the diet in healthy ways. A high fiber diet along with fresh vegetables and fruits is recommended by the American Heart Association.

In addition to diet control, giving up a sedentary lifestyle and adopting a more active one can help in cholesterol management to a large extent. Take up a sport or make sure that you walk for at least an hour every day. Decide on the specific activity levels that you need to maintain depending on your age after consultation with a physician.

If you have already been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may want to check your levels regularly with a home cholesterol test. This easy to use test can be conducted from home so that you do not have to go all the way to the laboratory every time to get your cholesterol levels checked.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

Almost all alcoholics (80 to 95 percent) smoke cigarettes. This is a rate that is three times higher than the normal population. Out of this about 70 percent of alcoholics are known to be heavy smokers as well. The proportion of heavy smokers in the overall population is ten percent.
The concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco fall under what is called the rewarding affect or the aversive affect. In the first case consumption of the other adds to the rewarding effect of the first and in the aversive effect the negative effect of the first reduces.

The Risks Associated with Consuming Alcohol and Smoking

Smoking and consuming alcohol increase the risk of cardiovascular andlung diseases. The combined effect has also been known to cause somekind of cancers like mouth cancer, throat cancer and esophagus cancer. The risks posed are greater than the additive of the risks associated with smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. The risk of developing a mouth cancer is 7 times higher among those who smoke and 6 times higher for those who consume alcohol than the general population. The same risk is amplified to 38 times more for those who smoke and consume alcohol at the same time. And for an alcohol test to work, you must put down your cigarette – 15 minutes should go by before you consume anything for the test to be administered correctly.
Tobacco and alcohol together also result in nutritional deficiencies too. This occurs due to the lack of proper absorption of the food. The combination is also notorious for resisting the proper action of antioxidants, elements that are able to otherwise fight cancer cells from  developing.

How does Simultaneous Tobacco and Alcohol Use Increase the Risk of Cancer?
There are more than 4000 toxic chemicals in a cigarette that are burnt when one is smoked. These are collectively known as tar and are converted into chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinogens). When one consumes alcohol, certain microsomal enzymes are produced that can increase the activity of these toxic chemicals, increasing the chances of smoking related cancers to a large extent. Some researchers also feel that the dehydrating effect of alcohol results in the ability of the tobacco chemicals to be absorbed in the mouth to a larger extent. This results in a much higher risk of mouth cancer than otherwise. Whether it is to show off to the opposite sex or generally increase camaraderie among friends, social smoking is something that should be avoided completely, lest it become a habit to smoke every time you drink. If you understand the amount of amplification that smoking and drinking together brings about, you should surely ensure that you avoid concurrent consumption.

“Adderall, which is a methamphetamine base…” – Michael Lohan

!!!

Recent reports in TMZ suggested that Lindsay Lohan is addicted to methamphetamine. Of course, it’s not true. When TMZ updated their report with the official response from Lindsay’s lawyer, TMZ also added that it is well known that Lindsay has an Adderall prescription and that rehab clinics would not consider them the same drug.

This is true. So, what are the differences between amphetamine and methamphetamine?

A variety of different methamphetamine pills

Well, first of all, if you are in a random drug testing program (as Lindsay is) and are going through rehab, people will be able to tell whether or not you are on meth or a prescription amphetamine like Adderall. This is in terms of their effects on the user and how easily they can be tested for.

Methamphetamine actually exists in a few different forms. There’s l-methamphetamine (levo-methamphetamine) which is the active ingredient in Vicks Vapor Inhaler. This version doesn’t do much to the central nervous system so it won’t make you high. It can show up as positive for meth on a drug test though. Then there’s dl-methamphetamine, which was more popular in the 60s and 70s than it is today. This type of meth is less potent and more toxic and made with different ingredients than the now popular form of meth, d-methamphetamine.

All very interesting. But you say, I know Adderall is a stimulant too, and chemically, they basically look the same. So what gives?

The main difference is the addition of the methyl group that gives methamphetamine its name. The methyl group is like a VIP pass to the brain; it allows the meth to travel faster than amphetamine across the blood-brain barrier and thus makes meth more potent than amphetamines. The methyl group also makes meth more stable than amphetamine.

So while meth and amphetamine may have a lot in common (heck, meth even breaks down into amphetamine in the body) they are still different in chemistry, effect, legal status, and potential for addiction. And they can be tested for separately as well – even something as simple as a home drug test can differentiate between amphetamine and methamphetamine easily. AND, although Adderall does have potential for abuse, it is not as dangerous as methamphetamine – Desoxyn, the prescription name for methamphetamine, is FDA Approved, and at times prescribed for ADHD and obesity, but due to the high risk for abuse it is prescribed quite rarely.

So yes, in the case of this TMZ article, the “experts” were more reliable than the “sources.” Someone should probably let Michael Lohan know though.

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