A New and Cost-Effective Tool to Combat the E-cigarette Epidemic Among Youth
ACTON, MA, May 5, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ: PMD), the world leader and pioneer in detecting drugs of abuse using hair analysis, today introduced a Vaping Panel to detect the use of Marijuana, CBD and Nicotine. This test provides a way for schools and businesses to detect the ingestion of these drugs by all methods including electronic cigarettes or smoking. Hair testing provides several significant advantages over other methods of testing including a 90-day lookback period for the ingestion of drugs.
A threat that is expanding
According to a Journal of the American Medical Association article, e-Cigarette Use Among Youth in the United States, “In 2019, over 27% of high school students and over 10% of middle school students were using e-cigarettes”. And the National Institute on Drug Abuse finds that vaping nicotine among high school age teens has more than doubled since 2017, the most dramatic increase for any drug in the 45-year history of the NIDA survey. Vaping is clearly a growing challenge for educators.
Underscoring the evolving nature of the threat, THC (the psychotic substance in marijuana) and CBD are increasingly popular vaping choices among teens. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a brochure, Get Smart About Drugs, points to vaping THC oil being more dangerous than smoking the drug because the higher concentration of THC delivered increases the “likelihood of addiction and adverse medical consequences”.
According to the National Institutes of Health, teenage/young adult drug use is of particular concern, “early use of drugs increases a person’s chances of becoming addicted”, and “because the brain is still developing, using drugs at this age has more potential to disrupt brain function in areas critical to motivation, memory, learning, judgment and behavior control.”
Dan Alig, Upper School Principal at Lovett School in Atlanta, said, “Psychemedics’ new Vaping Panel will give parents the key tool they need—information—as they partner with schools to prevent addiction. The longer we can delay teenage use, the more effective we’ll be in reducing substance abuse among young adults.”
Certainty of detection is the best deterrent
In addition to Psychemedics’ recently announced FDA approved standalone nicotine test, the Vaping Panel is an accurate and economical way to equip educators and companies alike with the capability to quickly identify people using the most commonly vaped drugs. Results in business organizations and on campuses show time after time that the certainty of detection assured with a Psychemedics test is a proven deterrent to drug use. Simply stated, it delivers a powerful incentive to abstain from use and a reason for students to say no when confronted with peer pressure.
This additional vaping panel reinforces the company’s leadership in scientific innovation and underscores the Psychemedics position as the worldwide leader in detecting drug of abuse and helping our clients create drug-free workplaces and campuses.
Psychemedics’ innovation extends a sustained track record of industry firsts
- First and only company to patent a process that releases virtually 100% of ingested drugs from inside the hair
- First and only company to develop and utilize an FBI-validated extended wash process that eliminates external contamination as a contributor to a positive hair test result
- First company to develop and market hair tests for ecstasy (MDMA), synthetic opioids, Adderall, synthetic cannabinoids, and EtG (alcohol)
- First and only company to have its hair test for benzodiazepines cleared by the FDA
- First and only company to have its hair test for fentanyl cleared by the FDA
- First and only company to have its hair test for nicotine cleared by the FDA
Availability of the FDA-cleared test for cotinine
The Psychemedics FDA-cleared hair test screen for cotinine is available on April 29, 2020. Psychemedics clients can add the screen to their drug panels and should contact their account representative for details. Medical Directors, Environmental Health and Safety Professionals, and Educators who wish to learn more about this and other tests can find information at www.psychemedics.com.
About Psychemedics
Psychemedics is the pioneer and global leader of testing for drugs of abuse using hair analysis. With over 30 years of continuous innovation, Psychemedics is the only company to develop and patent a process that releases virtually 100% of ingested drugs from the inside of the hair. We believe Psychemedics’ superior science delivers the most sensitive FDA 510(k) cleared tests in the world resulting in unmatched detection rates.
Psychemedics’ results, science, and people are trusted by the world’s most safety-sensitive industries, the largest law enforcement agencies as well as by schools and elite institutions around the globe. A wide cross-section of companies from a diverse set of industries including many companies in the Fortune 500 rely on Psychemedics to ensure they are building drug-free, safe, and productive workforces. We make businesses, our nation’s highways, and campuses safer.
Psychemedics is the standard against which all others measure themselves for sensitivity, quality, and innovation to stay ahead of the ever-changing illicit drug landscape.
The Psychemedics web site is www.psychemedics.com
For more information, contact:
Charles Doucot
exec@psychemedics.com