Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2005 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Jason Bell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) CITY LABS WILL TEST YOUR KIDS FOR DRUGS Parents Can Buy Program to Check on Their Children SUSPECT your child is using drugs? For a fee, several Winnipeg companies will give you a definitive answer. City labs have long marketed drug-testing programs to corporations as a way of finding out if their employees are using. The commercial trucking industry, for instance, has been giving random drug tests to drivers for years. But this foray into the family arena is a first. "Drugs are out there," said Rob Hawkins of Assure Lab Works. "We see a need for parents to be able to test their children." Testing by his lab for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and methamphetamines requires forcing your child to provide a urine sample. But some labs will also test hair, saliva and sweat samples. Hawkins advocates a thorough drug-testing program, whether parents have suspicions or simply choose a proactive approach when their kids reach a certain age. "Parents may have good reason to worry their child is already taking drugs, but they want proof," he said. "Or some parents may want to implement a program to prevent their kids from going near the stuff." Testing individuals follows the same model some businesses use to test their staff, Hawkins said. For a fee, his company will meet with families, draft an agreement between parent and child, collect and analyse a urine sample and then provide results. The initial agreement could call for several random tests throughout the year. Hawkins said ongoing testing gives kids the power to say no to drugs. "If they're offered drugs, they can refuse because they know they are being tested," he said. "They have this contract with their parents, and there will be consequences." A drug-testing program by Assure Lab Works costs about $600 for four or five tests a year. In Winnipeg, a spokesman with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba said the organization isn't against parents testing their kids. But chief executive officer John Borody cautions that parents should have a plan in the event the news isn't good. "Have a dialogue with your child before the test. It should be more of a discussion rather than an accusation," he said. "Plan a strategy on how to address the drug use." Signs that your child might be using drugs include changes in behaviour, sudden mood swings, a severe drop in school grades and a new circle of friends. David Love, a Winnipeg counsellor that specializes in addictions and relationships, said in his experience parents who drug test their children already know the answer. He said forcing your child to pee in a cup could rupture trust within the family. "The whole concept of testing really takes away from the relationship of trust," Love said. "Parents (acting) like police, sniffing around in their rooms... If the relationship is already struggling, that could just drive the child further away." That's not unlike the approach one Winnipeg business is marketing. The investigation firm of Oliver, Yaskiw & Associates is advertising a product called DrugWipe as new technology to confirm suspicions of drug use. It's like what you'd see on the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. For $250, a technician will wipe down your child's bedroom and personal belongings, like computers, desks and telephones, to detect even the most minute traces of dope. The size of a home pregnancy test, the wipe can pick up minute traces of drugs on almost any flat surface, including lockers, keyboards, door handles and countertops. "We send in one of our technicians to wipe a room down and then provide a detailed report," said Gordon Oliver, a partner with the firm. Results of the test are instant and the accuracy rate is nearly perfect, he said. Oliver said parents, just like employers, have the law on their side on this issue. Besides, he said: "If I'm the parent, I'd rather invade my child's privacy than attend their funeral. You see what crystal meth is doing to these kids." Accutest is another company in the city that provides individual drug tests, charging about $95 per test. Colleen Robinson, operations manager, said testing body fluid provides the most accurate results, adding she doesn't have faith in the wipes. She said the risk is falsely accusing a child who doesn't experiment with drugs but has come in contact with someone who does. "I don't like the methodology... too many open windows," Robinson said. "You test a phone in your child's room and there could be cocaine traces from somebody else's fingers." She said drug particles invisible to the naked eye are easily passed along, and have been detected on things like money and clothing. "Grab any $20 bill and there could be something on it," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake