Pubdate: 30 Sep, 1999 Source: Guardian Weekly, The (UK) Copyright: 1999 The Guardian Weekly Contact: 75 Farringdon Road London U.K EC1M 3HQ Fax: 44-171-242-0985 Website: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/GWeekly/ Section: page 7 Author: Duncan Campbell, Los Angeles BOOM IN INDUSTRY TO COMBAT RANDOM DRUG TESTS As drug testing at work and in schools becomes almost routine in many American cities, a new industry aimed at helping people to beat the test has blossomed. It is now possible to buy everything from drinks that purge the system of drug traces to 'lifelike' prosthetics in the correct skin colour that let a worker fool his employer with a bogus urine test. The industry has developed in the wake of fears for the civil liberties of those forced to take tests by threat of dismissal. A survey by the American Civil Liberties Union shows that many of the tests are inaccurate. There are also fears that employers are using them to screen out applicants who are ill or pregnant. Among the products now on offer are: Totally Clean gum, tea and capsules at prices of between $19 and $24; the 'ultimate' device, the Urinator "it does the peeing so you don't have to!" and Clear Choice shampoo, which removes toxins from hair. Strands of hair are increasingly used to check for the presence of drugs. Detox Headquarters in Louisiana offers at discount price drinks such as Carbo Cleanse Shake, which it says will detoxify the system in an hour. The newest firm in the business, Puck Technology of California, produces the Whizzinator, which comes with a prosthesis and a sample of toxin-free urine. Heat pads are provided so that the urine can be kept at body temperature for eight hours. "I've been self-employed all my life so testing didn't affect me personally," said Dennis Catalano of Puck, "but I have a friend it did impact on." This was what prompted him to go into the business, he said, and demand so far had been strong. "Around 46% of companies require tests now," Mr Catalano said, adding that the trend was being driven by insurance companies. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the boom in the beat-the-test business has been the magazine High Times, the drug-culture bible, which carries several full-page ads for the products. Its senior editor, Steven Wishnia, said the new companies had been created to deal with the increasing number of tests required of people seeking jobs or of workers at large companies. Colleges and schools have also increasingly introduced testing. "The tests give a large number of false positives." People who had eaten poppy-seed bagels or taken cold cures had tested positive, he added. High Times provides an advice hotline for people facing tests. It recommends drinking plenty of water before a test and avoiding taking a test in the morning. Drugs reformers see the industry as a natural reaction to what they regard as a breach of civil liberties. Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project says the testing industry has become too powerful. "They have a number of members of Congress in their back pocket and they try to scare companies [into setting up tests]." - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder