Drugs Eclipse Alcohol in Child Custody Tests

LONDON - There has been a significant increase in parents testing positive to drugs when required to undergo a hair test in child custody cases, according to the latest figures from Trimega Laboratories (www.trimegalabs.co.uk).

Trimega, which conducts thousands of substance abuse tests each year on behalf of Local Authorities, says that the percentage of parents in question testing positive to illegal drugs has risen to 37% nationwide, compared to 31% in 2008. By contrast, the percentage of parents testing positive to alcohol abuse (drinking an average of 7.5 units or more a day) has fallen from 43% in 2008 to 35% this year.

In the worst affected parts of the UK - London and the South West - around half of hair samples tested showed signs of drug abuse with a year-on-year rise of 13% between non-users and users. Cocaine is most commonly found drug with an average of one in five samples (20%) testing positive, rising to 25.5% in London. Cannabis is the second drug of choice, which was found in an average of 16.5% of samples tested nationwide, led by the West Midlands which recorded 22.5%.

Avi Lasarow, managing director of Trimega Laboratories, commented:

“Parental hair tests have become the industry standard for making a rapid, informed decision about the custody of a child whose safety is considered at risk. By providing a six month window of detection, they can reveal prolonged and dangerous levels of abuse as well as verifying an addict’s history of abstinence.”

Substance Abuse Table % of POSITIVE DRUG SAMPLES (opiates, cocaine, cannabis & amphetamine) REGION M F Both Rank London 50 49 50 1 SW 54 33 44 2= Wales 45 42 44 2= NE 34 46 38 4 West Mids 45 28 37 5 East Mids 40 29 35 6 SE 33 31 32 7 NW 24 36 30 8 TOTAL 40 36 37 (2008 31) % of POSITIVE ALCOHOL SAMPLES (>7.5 units per day) REGION M F Both Rank Wales 48 40 44 1 West Mids 37 45 42 2 NE 40 37 39 3 NW 34 40 37 4 SE 40 30 35 5 East Mids 36 32 34 6 London 33 33 33 7 SW 40 20 30 8 TOTAL 38 32 35 (2008 43) Source: Trimega Laboratories www.trimegalabs.co.uk

Source: Trimega Laboratories Ltd

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