Pubdate: Thu, 12 Feb 2004
Source: Daily News (KY)
Copyright: 2004 News Publishing LLC
Contact:  http://www.bgdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1218
Author: Hayli Fellwock
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

REMEDIES SOUGHT AS METH GAINS POPULARITY

Employers Using Newer, Stricter Drug Testing In Effort To Curb Use

Methamphetamine production is a serious problem in the Barren River
region, as evidenced by numerous meth-related arrests by local law
enforcement agencies. The number of known Warren County meth labs
skyrocketed from three in 1999 to 65 in 2002 and dropped to 53 in
2003, according to Tommy Loving, coordinator of the Bowling
Green-Warren County Drug Task Force. Eighty-five percent of Logan
County Detention Center inmates were arrested on drug-related charges,
and Logan County Sheriff's Deputy Bob Gregory said the primary
substances abused are meth and cocaine.

Local companies have responded with more stringent drug-testing
policies. The local office of one trucking company recently released
the results of extensive drug-testing of job applicants, going to
greater lengths than many other companies by testing hair follicles.
The company, which wished to remain unnamed, tested the hair and urine
of about 100 applicants from the region over the last year.

"The owner of the trucking company insisted that we go ahead and do
the hair testing along with the regular urine testing," said Dr. Ken
Embry, the company's medical review officer. "I thought it was a waste
of time, but he really made a believer out of me. It ended up being
worth it."

Embry said hair testing provides a 90-day history of drug use, whereas
urine testing provides only a four-day history at best. The results
not only justified the employer's cautionary measures but also offered
further verification of a real meth problem in the local area, Embry
said. Year-end totals showed 10 percent of the company's job
applicants were rejected due to meth use.

Another local company that requires hair follicle testing of its job
applicants is Home-Towne Suites. The company has six hotel locations,
one of which is in Bowling Green, and it requires its employees to
participate in random hair testing as well.

"We do (hair testing) for two reasons," Home-Towne Suites President
Mike Tetterton said from company headquarters in Lexington. "I've
always been told you couldn't trust the urine test. I think we pay $50
per hair test, as opposed to about $25 for urinalysis, but the hair
tests are supposed to be that much more accurate. Urine tests are just
too easy to fake."

Based on companywide figures from past years, Tetterton said an
average of about 5 to 7 percent of Home-Towne Suites job applicants
test positive for drug use, particularly cocaine and marijuana.
Home-Towne Suite's end-of-year statistics from 2003 show 11 percent of
job applicants at the Bowling Green hotel tested positive for drug
use, second only to the company's Greeneville, N.C., location. Drug
tests of applicants at the company's four other locations in
Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia did not return any positive results.

"We have had people come to us before and say, 'If you drug test, I
can't apply,'" Tetterton said. "We will invite them back when they are
ready to do the drug test, and when they can commit to random testing
throughout their employment. However, I don't know of anybody who has
ever come back and said, 'OK I am ready to test now. I have cleaned my
life up.'"

Tim Kanaly, general manager of Gary Force Honda in Bowling Green, said
drug use has not been a significant problem in the 27-year history of
the Honda dealership, possibly because of the company's low employee
turnover rate.

"In October of last year, we started drug testing for insurance
purposes, but it hasn't been a problem," he said.

Similarly, Andrea Blackford, general manager of Arby's in
Russellville, said her restaurant has not experienced trouble with
drug use among employees. The company requires drug testing of those
applying for shift manager and higher positions, as well as any
employees filing for worker's compensation benefits. The company also
reserves the right to randomly test employees.

"As part of a new employees' orientation, they have to sign a
substance abuse policy," Blackford said. "They are aware that they
could be taken for a random drug testing."

Tiffany Merten of Corpcare, a company that offers on-site drug testing
for over 100 Warren County businesses, agreed with Tetterton that hair
follicle testing is one of the most accurate drug tests. However, she
said due to its prohibitive cost, hair follicle tests are used much
less frequently than urine tests. Hair tests cost about $300, while
urine samples cost an average of $52. There is an extra $35 charge if
the urine test results are positive, requiring the company's on-site
medical review officer to further examine the sample.

Terry Bryant, associate administrator of Corpcare, said he has
received complaints of too much hair being taken in hair sample
testing, which may be another reason the test is less common.

"People are very protective of their hair," she said. "If they only
have three hairs, they don't want you taking any."

Mike Russell, spokesman for the American Trucking Association, said
the ATA lobbies every year for a legislative ban on adulterants, which
are products that defy drug tests by masking the results of drug and
alcohol abuse. Thus far, lobbying efforts have been unsuccessful
because the products, including hair follicle shampoo and flavored
"detox drinks," are still available for legal purchase.

"If you want to make it safer out there, this is one place to begin,"
Russell said.

Merten agreed that adulterants are a problem, but said there are
actually numerous other methods used to defy drug tests. Thus,
Corpcare employees are trained to look for tip-offs such as foam,
unusual odor, or even blue dye in the sample, which indicates the
person dipped blue water from the restroom's toilet bowl.

"I watch their behavior," she said. "You can kind of tell when someone
is up to something. For instance, I had one girl come out of the
bathroom with a Foley's catheter hanging out of her pants' leg."

According to Corpcare records, meth is the third most frequently seen
drug in test results, though Merten said it has been seen a little
more frequently in the latest test results.

"My assumption is that (meth abusers) aren't looking for jobs," Merten
said. "Studies I've seen show they are so hooked on it they cannot
function properly."

Tetterton said Home-Towne Suites has seen a problem with prescription
painkillers such as Oxycontin, a drug which is not always recognized
by drug screenings. Corpcare records show marijuana as the most
frequently seen drug in local test results, and cocaine is a close
second.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin