New government drug testing rules include hair

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, today issued proposed new rules for mandatory federal drug testing that include specimens of hair, saliva and sweat, along with urine.

The proposed rules would allow federal agencies to utilize their choice of specimens for mandatory federal testing programs, affecting several hundred thousand federal workers. Additionally, these federal standards are generally followed by regulatory agencies that require testing in industries they oversee, potentially affecting millions of workplace drug tests performed by US employers such as the airline and trucking industries. Also, many unregulated private sector employers may choose to model their drug testing on the federal program.

Under the proposed rules, federal agencies will be able to tailor their programs to use the most effective test for a particular purpose.

Hair testing provides longer detection periods (approximately 90 days) and is particularly well suited and effective in pre-employment and random testing. The shorter detection periods available with urine or saliva are effective with post accident and reasonable suspicion testing.