Home Drug Testing Kit Introduced

DRUG TESTING April 1995

Barringer Technologies, Inc. has introduced an at-home drug detection kit (Jay Mathews, "Letting Parents Make the Bust," Washington Post, Mar. 29, 1995, p. A1).

DrugAlert sells for $20 and contains a small pre-moistened pad to be wiped along desktops, furniture, and other objects. The pad can then be sent to the manufacturer, which tests it for traces of illegal drugs. Results can be obtained over the phone, and the entire process is confidential.

The device is being hailed by clinical psychologists and social workers as a way for parents to intervene early in a child's drug use. Teenagers, civil libertarians, and family counselors, however, feel the device may lead to further problems between a child and parent.

The device is packaged with a booklet warning parents that drug traces do not necessarily mean a child is using drugs. It explains that traces can come from casual contact with friends or strangers.

[For more information, contact Barringer Technologies at 908-665-8200.]