101 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
101 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
Hair Testing | the Next Wave
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By David Ross
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The 60s may be turning into the 90s, but at least one fashion may not
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return: long hair.
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The latest weapon in the Drug War is hair analysis. Psychemedics Corp.
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of Santa Monica, California, has mounted a massive media and advertising
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campaign hoping to have their patented RadioImmunoAssay of Hair (RIAH,
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or "HAIR" backwards) become a "complementary test to urinalysis."
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News "stories," magazine articles and even editorial columns (William
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F. Buckley, Jr., for example) have touted the praises of this new
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"weapon" to ensure a "genuinely drug-free workplace."
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RIAH is the brainchild of Annette and Werner Baumgartner, whose Ianus
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Foundation project was funded by the Veterans Administration, the U.S.
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Navy, the FBI, the American Society for Industrial Security and the
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National Institute of Justice.
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How Hair Testing Works
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Now that they are ready to market their product/service, the
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Baumgartner's have formed Psychemedics Corp. Their literature calls
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Psychemedics "the world's first laboratory to offer a cost-effective
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method for testing hair rather than body fluids for the detection of
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drugs of abuse." They claim to be "at the leading edge of drug test
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technology."
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Psychemedics claims RIAH is based on "a simple scientific principle."
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Blood, circulating through the body, deposits traces of illegal drugs
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in the hair follicle. These drug-traces, they claim, become entrapped
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in the hair in amounts proportional to those ingested. With their
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process, they claim, a history of a person's drug-taking is mapped
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out in the hair.
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The Same Old Lies
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Werner Baumgartner apparently has more than just financial pride in
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his project þ his articles and news releases overflow with
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politicalisms about the scourge of drug abuse, and with suggestions
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about how using his product to see the "history" of a drug "abuser"
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can enable company management to make a "decision over whether or
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not an otherwise qualified candidate. . . is worth the risk of
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probationary employment." He touts the use of RIAH not only in
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employment decisions, but also in law-enforcement, medical and
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insurance situations.
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Does Hair Testing Work?
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According to Psychemedics' literature, the test cannot be beaten.
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Excessive washing of hair only helps them filter out airborne
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contaminants. Shaving one's head only creates suspicion, and besides,
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body hair works just as well. The RIAH system, Baumgartner claims,
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also works with fingernail scrapings.
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The fine print of their literature, however, points out that
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"treated hair," i.e., bleached, dyed or permed hair, does create a
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problem for their test.
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Psychemedics' media packet also includes a "non-biased" report
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entitled Quality Assurance Testing of RIAH, prepared by Walsh &
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Associates, whoever they are. The author, William J. Walsh, certifies
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that blind tests of Psychemedics laboratory were 100% accurate. Walsh,
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like Baumgartner, gets passionate in his report, resorting to tired
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lies such as "light recreational" use of drugs usually leads to
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hard-core addiction. One quote: "An effective drug-testing program
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must have the capability of identifying beginning drug abusers."
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Making A Buck
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Depending on the number of hair samples you send in to Psychemedics,
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prices per test range from $28 (the quantity discount, for 2500+ at
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one time) to $65 (5-24 samples).
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A curious parenthetical statement appears on their price list: "To
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include 5% automatically confirmed positive, add $3 per sample."
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For an additional $25 per sample, Psychemedics will graciously
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provide what they call "Safety Net" (a registered service mark,
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no less!). "Safety Net" simply means they'll test the sample the
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second time if it comes back positive the first time.
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Their literature also includes a "selected corporate customer list,"
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which includes: American Savings Bank, Anheuser-Busch, Barnett Bank,
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Blockbusters (the video-rental company), Caesars Tahoe (a casino),
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Corrections Corp. of America (the private prison people), the Federal
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Reserve Bank, various auto dealerships, Harrah's (another casino),
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Home Federal Bank, MGM Grand (yet another casino), Magma Copper Mines,
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hospitals, supermarkets, Ross Stores (Ross For Less), police
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departments, Trust Company Bank, ad nauseam.
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Other blurbs and press releases by Psychemedics indicate their product
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can spot between 50% and 600% MORE drug users than urine testing. One
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can only guess that Psychemedics wants to do its part in filling Newt
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Gingrich's "Western Prison Zone" [see page 3].
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