Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Ludlow, CO

Employment, DOT, Court Ordered, Personal
Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG

8 Hair Drug Testing Centers in Ludlow

Minutes Away, Test Today

Onsite Only11.06 miles

Onsite Only
Trinidad, CO 81082

500 San Juan St12.06 miles

500 San Juan St
Trinidad, CO 81082

115 E Elm St12.07 miles

115 E Elm St
Trinidad, CO 81082

908 E Main St12.15 miles

908 E Main St
Trinidad, CO 81082

410 Benedicta Ave12.22 miles

410 Benedicta Ave
Trinidad, CO 81082

23500 Us Highway 16022.84 miles

23500 Us Highway 160
Walsenburg, CO 81089

1187 S 2nd St32.43 miles

1187 S 2nd St
Raton, NM 87740

160 Hospital Dr33.38 miles

160 Hospital Dr
Raton, NM 87740

Employment, Court Ordered, Probation, Family

Certified Drug Screening offers comprehensive hair follicle testing services in Ludlow, Colorado. If a hair drug or alcohol analysis is required, Certified Drug Screening is the expert, with facilities in numerous cities nationwide to conduct hair tests. Hair measuring between 1.5 to 2 inches from the scalp or body may be used. This method assesses drugs, alcohol/ETG, or tailored testing options.

Recently, conducting drug testing has increasingly involved hair follicle tests. A variety of employers, judicial systems, and substance abuse professionals prefer hair testing over traditional urine testing. Firms with zero-tolerance drug policies, the courts, and those in probation utilize hair follicle testing advantages. Its main advantage is the expanded detection window, up to 90 days, minimizing chances of deceit, collected under observation. However, for testing recent drug use within five days, the urine test remains the most precise option.

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is increasingly viewed as an effective method for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a historical account of substances by embedding biomarkers within the strands as they grow. When taken near the scalp, hair can offer a detection timeline of up to 3 months for drugs and alcohol use. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient for shipping.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches and containing roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to the width of a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp provides about 100mg, which is the best sample size for both initial screening and verification. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is suggested. It's advised to weigh the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn't available, equivalent body hair can be collected. "Head hair" specifically refers to scalp hair, while "body hair" refers to all other types (like facial, underarm, etc.).

Process Overview

The primary steps in laboratory analysis of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning involves the initial lab entry of the sample, ensuring the sample was sealed and transported correctly, assigning a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any other required data entry that isn't available from the electronic chain of custody system.

Screening serves as an initial assessment for substance misuse. Although it's a cost-efficient way to exclude drug use in most cases, a positive screen must be validated for legal contexts. Samples testing positive in Screening require further confirmation.

Should a sample test positive in Screening, more hair is taken from the original sample and prepared for Extraction. This phase involves extracting drugs from hair at lower concentrations compared to other methods (such as urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening among the most complex methodologies.

Any positive result from screening is confirmed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All positively presumed samples undergo a wash before confirmation if necessary. The comprehensive lab process—from Accessioning to Confirmation—is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

  • Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug consumption for as long as 90 days, whereas urine tests have a much shorter detection period.
  • Hard to manipulate: The difficulty of cheating on a hair drug test enhances the accuracy of the results.
  • Chronological usage information: It can illustrate substance use trends over time rather than just recent activity.

Limitations:

  • Cannot identify recent intake: Drugs become detectable in hair approximately 5-7 days after use.
  • Expense: Hair drug tests tend to be costlier than alternative drug testing techniques.
  • Result variations: Factors like hair color and personal hair growth patterns can influence drug metabolite concentration in hair.

Note: Despite the term "hair follicle tests," the analysis focuses on the hair strand itself and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Ludlow, CO, offers several advantages over traditional urine tests. Compared to urine tests, these tests provide superior detection accuracy and reliability. Employers and institutions favor hair testing due to its longer detection period, which ensures a comprehensive substance use history, making it a reliable choice for drug testing.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Ludlow, CO, excels with its extended detection window, allowing drug use detection for up to 90 days. This advantage grants employers an in-depth perspective on a candidate's or employee's substance usage history, ensuring informed decisions.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

The reliability of hair follicle tests in Ludlow, CO, is unmatched regarding tamper resistance. Unlike other methods, this test significantly minimizes the risk of sample adulteration, providing unquestionable results that meet rigorous standards for accuracy and integrity.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Testing for drugs via hair follicles in Ludlow, CO, is convenient due to our numerous nationwide centers. Offering quick and hassle-free access, we ensure testing services are available seamlessly, allowing individuals to benefit from easy and accessible testing procedures.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Ludlow, CO, hair follicle testing is designed with simplicity and confidentiality as priorities. The process is straightforward—from ordering to the acquisition of results—thus addressing concerns about privacy and providing a user-friendly experience throughout.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

With affordable pricing, hair follicle tests in Ludlow, CO ensure value for both small and large companies. Complementing competitive rates with fast turnaround times offers businesses peace of mind and ensures they receive timely and reliable testing outcomes.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Ludlow, CO, hair follicle drug tests deliver fast and precise results. This method is acclaimed for its capability to identify substance use with high accuracy. The precision and speed of this testing process ensure that individuals receive dependable and quick results, assisting in rapid decision-making for employers.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Ludlow, CO, gain peace of mind using hair follicle testing, ensuring adherence to drug-free workplace policies. This method helps mitigate legal risks, strengthens safety protocols, and promotes a secure and compliant working environment.

What's New In Hair Follicle Drug Testing according to the Hair Drug Testing Experts

With its multidisciplinary nature, hair testing brings together researchers, scientists, and experts from various domains to develop innovative techniques, explore new methodologies, and address emerging concerns, responding to the ever-evolving challenges of drug abuse, therapeutic drug monitoring, and environmental exposures to pollutants.

The joint meeting of the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) and the Italian Group of Forensic Toxicologists (GTFI) was organized in Verona, June 8–10, 2022, and hosted by the Legal Medicine team of the Verona University Hospital, directed by Franco Tagliaro together with Federica Bortolotti and Rossella Gottardo.

It served as a prominent platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, facilitating groundbreaking advancements in hair testing and analysis. In this special issue of Drug Testing and Analysis, we aim to showcase the remarkable manuscripts presented at this significant event, shedding light on the latest research and highlighting the future directions in this field.

Novel Analytical Techniques: The Verona meeting witnessed the unveiling of cutting-edge analytical techniques, offering enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy for drug testing. Remarkable advancements in sample preparation, detection, and identification of drug compounds have been presented. The manuscripts in this section presented novel approaches, such as multianalyte methods and on-line preparation which can enable rapid analysis and improve thorough forensic investigations.

Biomarkers and Pharmacokinetics: The identification and validation of reliable biomarkers and pharmacokinetic studies are fundamental aspects of drug testing and analysis. The impact of hair treatments on the oxidation/decomposition of drugs in hair was also explored, as the long-term fate of drugs incorporated in the keratin matrix. Furthermore, the SoHT meeting in Verona featured research on the identification and quantification of alcohol abuse biomarkers, their stability, and their correlation with exposure and other biomarkers.

Forensic Applications and Interpretation: One of the vital objectives of hair testing is its application in forensic investigations and legal proceedings. The SoHT meeting in Verona emphasized the significance of rigorous interpretation of analytical results and the need for standardized protocols. Manuscripts in this section present advancements in forensic toxicology, and have explored the challenges posed by emerging designer drugs and strategies to combat their proliferation. The pitfalls encountered when the exogenous/endogenous nature of a substance is questioned were presented and discussed. The special issue presents also manuscripts that delve into the ethical implications of drug testing in drug facilitated sexual assaults.

Clinical Applications of hair testing are witnessed by the insight on environmental tobacco smoke exposure, assessed by hair analysis in a population of students and the study of in utero-exposure to drugs of abuse through neonatal hair analysis. Exposure to drugs was also important in cases of child abuse/neglect, when the clinical purpose of hair testing merge with its forensic applications.

The legal framework surrounding hair testing and the achievement of guidelines to ensure fairness, accuracy, and confidentiality in drug testing practices have also been discussed,and the SoHT consensus on general hair testing and testing for drugs of abuse was presented at the meeting and published as a Letter to the Editor.

In conclusion, the special issue of Drug Testing and Analysis, featuring manuscripts from the SoHT–GTFI meeting in Verona 2022, reflects the remarkable advancements achieved in this field. The manuscripts provide valuable insights into novel analytical techniques, biomarkers, pharmacokinetics, forensic applications, and ethical considerations. As we embrace these advancements, we pave the way for a safer, healthier society, where drug testing and analysis serve as powerful tools in protecting public health and maintaining integrity in various sectors. The research presented in this special issue will undoubtedly shape the future of drug testing and analysis, fostering collaboration and inspiring further innovation in this crucial area of scientific inquiry.


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Frequently Asked Questions

A hair follicle drug test analyzes a small sample of hair to detect a history of drug use over time. Because drug metabolites are incorporated into hair as it grows, this method can show patterns of use instead of just recent exposure. It is frequently used for legal and court requirements, long-term monitoring, and high-trust workforce screening.
Standard hair drug testing typically reflects drug use over approximately a 90-day period, based on the length of hair collected at the time of testing. Longer hair can sometimes reflect a longer time frame, and extremely short hair can reduce that window.
Hair drug testing commonly screens for marijuana/THC, cocaine, opiates/opioids, amphetamines/methamphetamines, and PCP. In many cases, additional expanded panels may be requested to include other substances.
Yes. If the donor's head hair is too short or unavailable, body hair may be collected as an alternative. The collector will document the source of the sample. This allows testing even for individuals with recently cut or shaved head hair.
Yes. Hair drug testing is commonly used in court, probation, custody, and compliance matters because the collection process follows a documented chain of custody and the analysis is performed by a certified laboratory. Results are provided in a form that can be reviewed by legal and administrative authorities.
Yes. Individuals, parents, attorneys, employers, and probation programs can all request hair drug testing. A doctor's order is not required. Results are confidential and released only to the authorized requesting party.
Hair testing provides a longer look-back period than urine testing, making it useful when you need to demonstrate ongoing abstinence or identify repeated/recent substance use patterns over time rather than just recent exposure. It is frequently selected for legal, compliance, and custody-related documentation.
A small section of hair is cut by a trained collector in a discreet, controlled manner. The sample is sealed, documented, and sent to the laboratory under established chain-of-custody procedures so that the results can be defended if they are ever challenged.

Customer Reviews

Sweet and helpful

Trish was amazing and got me through the sytem very fast and swift. I had a hard time hearing her a couple of times, but she was super sweet and helpful throughout the process. Highly recommend her!

Sophia Schutze - 6/19/2024

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Quick, knowledgeable and courteous Janelle worked diligently to support me. I am recommending their services to anyone looking.

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Very Fun and Easy

Trish last week and Tatiana this week, very fun and easy folks to deal with. Well be using them more and more in the future.

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