SNIP OF HAIR TESTS KIDS FOR LEGAL, ILLEGAL DRUGS

VANCOUVER (CNS) -- As if it isn't enough for parents to worry about
whether their teenager is using marijuana, cocaine or crystal meth, a
new drug-testing kit presents parents with the option of testing
their children for prescription drug use, too. With a quick snip or a
clump of hair, parents can find out within days whether a child has
dipped into the family medicine cabinet, has tried cocaine in the
past three months, uses crystal meth on the weekends, or is taking
painkillers on a daily basis.

"Prescription drugs are so accessible to kids. They're in the
medicine cabinet, so they don't really think it's dangerous for
them," said Zeynep Ilgaz, president and co-founder of Confirm
BioSciences, the California-based maker of the home drug-testing kits.

Ilgaz said prescription drug abuse, particularly of OxyContin and
Vicodin, is on the rise in the United States.

There are few Canadian statistics on the number of people who abuse
prescription drugs, but the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says
available evidence suggests Canadians are among the heaviest
consumers of psychotropic medication in the world.

The kit tests hair for seven illicit drugs and five prescription drugs.

A version of the test that did not include prescription drugs was
made available in Canada in late 2007.