Employee background checks and drug testing programs often incorporate hair follicle drug testing into their plans due to the sheer accuracy of these tests. Even though hair testing is more expensive that a urine drug test kit, for example, they can provide a level of accuracy that is nearly ten times that of other testing methods. Hair follicle drug testing is a great way to detect all of the major types of drugs, including marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, PCP, ecstasy, and cocaine. Hair follicle drug testing can detect the trace amounts of illicit substances trapped in the cortex of the hair for up to 90-days after use. Whether in an office setting or in the home, hair follicle drug testing serves the purpose of addressing an individual’s drug use history.
Hair follicle drug testing does not involve the embarrassing collection of samples like that of urine or saliva drug tests. In most cases, a hair sample of a few strands of hair is all that is needed to obtain accurate results. Employers can request a sample from their employees. Once a hair sample has been collected, it is sealed in an envelope and sent to a participating laboratory for completion. Hair testing is fast and more accurate than other drug test forms.
The detection window is much larger in hair drug testing (compare it to few days for urine and saliva based drug testing) because trace amounts of drug chemicals become trapped inside each hair. A simple lab test can detect these trace chemicals making for either a positive or negative test result. Once the results are recorded, you receive a notification of the results. Some companies even provide a phone service where you call in, enter an account number, and retrieve the results via phone.