Using Home Drug Tests: Home Drug Test Kit Activated by Second-hand Smoke?

By Dr. Deb Carlin

If you've seen what you think might be the signs of drug use or symptoms of drug use in your teen and administered a home drug test kit, you won't be the first parent to hear your teen tell you that they didn't smoke marijuana and that they were the only one in a room full of friends who didn't do it. If your teen tells you that the reason for the result on their home drug test kit was second hand smoke, then I hope you don't mind if I point out the obvious and suggest that the first thing you should consider doing is asking them what they were doing in a room full of people possessing and using illegal drugs in the first place.

Next, you should realize that the home drug test kits are calibrated to recognize the presence of drugs at concentration levels high enough that second hand smoke shouldn't set them off. Besides, if there are enough drugs a teen's system to produce a positive result, the health risks should not be ignored regardless of how the drugs got in their system.

Finally, if all else fails, you can always offer to have the disputed results verified using a special type of lab test called GCMS, which will help you get the truth quickly. It has been my experience that once you offer to have a GCMS confirmation test performed at a lab on the sample you collected, your teen is likely to come clean and admit using.

If you want to know more about using home drug tests or picking out the best home drug test kit for your teen, or the steps to starting a home drug testing program, visit TestMyTeen.com for more information like program checklists, counselor approved strategies and free video tutorials.