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 | Trying to beat the drug test Tom Rhodes knew something was wrong as soon as he looked at the tiny cup. As director of Monroe County's community corrections program and assistant chief probation officer, he's sometimes called upon to administer drug screenings of court-ordered offenders. But this test seemed just a bit off - the urine specimen, which had just been given for the drug test, didn't register a temperature. Using someone else's urine is only one way Rhodes has seen people try to pass a drug test. Since consequences for a failed court-ordered test can range from a revoked bond to a revoked probation term, the stakes are high. With many employers testing as well, a whole new market has sprung up, touting ways to remove or hide the effects of drugs - or, as one Web site put it, beat the "bladder cops." Those range from the Whizzinator, a male prosthesis with a place to store "clean" urine and a heat pack to make sure it stays at the proper temperature, to shampoos, drinks and additives that boast such names as UrineAid and Klear. In December, a man stole one of the Whizzinator devices from the StimLine Diet Alert Center on West Third Street. A clerk showed the man the device, after which he displayed a handgun and told the clerk he was "taking it." A quick Google search for "how to beat a drug test" results in hundreds of hits, including complete articles telling how long certain drugs remain in the body. The Whizzinator's Web site even includes testimonials, such as this one from "Texas Bud," who says: "I was about to have to dry out as nothing else worked (nor I as a result.) Now I got a better job and pay than ever before." In Monroe County, probation officials have seized at least one Whizzinator as well as a variety of homemade items. One such device used by a juvenile was fashioned from an Elmer's glue bottle and Velcro, which he'd used to keep it attached to his boxer shorts, while a version seized from a woman featured a small plastic bottle with a long rubbery orange tip. The stakes are high for testing clean, and it's not easy to avoid getting caught. In Monroe County, probation officers observe the collection of samples for urine screens, and there are procedures in place to make sure adulterants aren't used, said chief probation officer Linda Brady. For example, in the restroom, the water in the toilet is dyed so it would be immediately evident if it were used to dilute urine. All samples are also tested for dilution and additives. For people who are caught, the results might be worse than testing positive. Monroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzmann has filed felony charges of obstruction of justice against people caught intentionally trying to cheat on their drug test. "It's the purposeful defraudment we take a hard look at," Salzmann said. "Ninety-nine percent of it is detectable by the methods we use, so all you're doing is getting yourself in more trouble." State Rep. Ralph Ayers, R-Chesterton, has even sponsored legislation that would make defrauding a drug or alcohol screen a Class B misdemeanor. "I hope it's used as a preventive tool for individuals not to defraud," he said. "I hope it's looked at as a positive." Brady, the chief probation officer, echoed Salzmann's concerns. "There is an industry which markets to persons under court supervision and I believe that our youth are especially vulnerable to the sales tactics used by this industry," she said in an e-mail. "The marketing stresses that the various products will 'help' avoid detection of illicit drug use, but our experience tells us that the only 'help' these products offer is to hasten a return to the Monroe County jail or juvenile detention." | |
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