Home tests help parents monitor drug use
Published August 19, 2008
Marijuana, cocaine, methamph-etamine and Ecstacy.
These are the drugs that most likely come to mind when hearing the word “addiction.” But some addictive drugs come straight from a prescription bottle.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, abuse of prescription drugs is becoming increasingly prevalent among teens and young adults. Pain relievers, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, are the most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens.
The federal government organization also reported that prescription painkiller abuse is only second to marijuana as the nation’s most prevalent illegal drug problem.
One big draw to the new form of addiction is that teens are able to find the drugs in the bathroom medicine cabinet.
An estimated 20 percent of people in the U.S. have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And that, the institute reported, can lead to further, more harsh addictions.
Parents concerned their teens are doing drugs, whether illegal or prescription, could have an answer.
A new home-based hair follicle drug test kit called HairConfirm Prescription, can detect drug and
prescription use as well as usage frequency.
Research from Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, and Liberty Mutual Group suggested that parents are the No. 1 deterrent to a teen’s decision to use drugs and prescription drugs.
Studies show that the average age of first drug use is 13 and that more than one-third of teens have used drugs.
The home-test kit, which includes a collection kit, prepaid return envelope, lab fee, report and counseling hotline, will set parents back about $90.
The kit currently is available at Amazon.com, CVS.com and Drugstore.com.
Confirm BioSciences, the company that manufactures the kit, claimed their product soon would be on the shelves at Walgreens, but a spokesman from Walgreens headquarters said they had no plans of carrying the product.
For more information, visit www.hairconfirm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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