View Full Version : Cocaine - 150 days before hair test
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 04:58 PM
I did one small line of coke about 150 days ago. 6'2" 240 lbs, I trimmed all my body hair about 2 months ago and have almost an inch of underarm hair and 3/4 inch chest hair, no hair on head at all. Used cocaine once before that in 2010. I have thick hair dark brown what would you say my chances are 1-100 of passing?
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 04:59 PM
My test is tomorrow
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 07:28 PM
I'm hoping for Dr Bill to answer this and biggest reason for concern is that I only have armpit and chest hair for them to take. I have a half inch goatie but I don't think that's enough. I can see some hair on my arm that's still the same length as it was 2 months ago when I trimmed it, scary that some of that might get sampled.
DrBill100
Sep 30, 2012, 07:43 PM
I did one small line of coke about 150 days ago. 6'2" 240 lbs, I trimmed all my body hair about 2 months ago and have almost an inch of underarm hair and 3/4 inch chest hair, no hair on head at all. Used cocaine once before that in 2010. I have thick hair dark brown what would you say my chances are 1-100 of passing?
Your best chance of passing is the fact that infrequent use of drugs of all types are usually not detected in HDT. Cocaine however has the highest detection rate. (see 1)
Otherwise, drug use is detected for a longer period in body hair than head hair. At 150 days with normal hair care head hair would have been clear. However, with body hair, axillary, leg, arm, pubic, the detection time is at least doubled. (see 2) In the absence of head hair the collector has no choice but to turn to one of these alternative collection sites.
1) previously addressed here: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/addictions/drbill100-re-hair-test-cocaine-705681.html
2) Richards-Merhag Chart (http://www.laserspagroup.com/info-understanding-hair-removal.php) for the cycles of hair growth and their respective duration, density and depth.
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 07:55 PM
Your best chance of passing is the fact that infrequent use of drugs of all types are usually not detected in HDT. Cocaine however has the highest detection rate. (see 1)
Otherwise, drug use is detected for a longer period of time in body hair than head hair. At 150 days with normal hair care head hair would have been clear. However, with body hair, axillary, leg, arm, pubic, the detection time is at least doubled. (see 2) In the absence of head hair the collector has no choice but to turn to one of these alternative collection sites.
1) previously addressed here: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/addictions/drbill100-re-hair-test-cocaine-705681.html
2) Richards-Merhag Chart (http://www.laserspagroup.com/info-understanding-hair-removal.php) for the cycles of hair growth and their respective duration, density and depth.
Thanks for the response, what's confusing to me is the doubling of detection time. Does that mean even if you trim all of your auxiliary hair 2 months after you take the cocaine that it could still come out and show in a hair sample?
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 08:02 PM
Also what if I just shave everything and only have the half inch of facial hair? What do they normally do in a situation like that, and is it in my benefit to do that?
DrBill100
Sep 30, 2012, 09:11 PM
Thanks for the response, what's confusing to me is the doubling of detection time. Does that mean even if you trim all of your auxiliary hair 2 months after you take the cocaine that it could still come out and show in a hair sample?
Yes. Drugs, to some extent, are incorporated into hair during the growth (anagen) cycle via attachment to a compound known as eumelanin (that determines color of hair). That process must occur in the hair root (papilla).
Hair, by bodily region, grows at different rates. Axillary, for instance, at far lesser rate than scalp. Therefore, the appearance of the drug is slower and remains within the hair structure longer. The slower the hair grows the longer the drug is detectable.
J_9
Sep 30, 2012, 09:13 PM
On another note, shaving ALL body hair can be considered trying to evade the test and increasing suspicion. If that happens all they have to do is take finger or toenail scrapings.
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 09:25 PM
On another note, shaving ALL body hair can be considered trying to evade the test and increasing suspicion. If that happens all they have to do is take finger or toenail scrapings.
This sucks, Im wondering what's the shortest I can trim armpit and chest hair and still be OK, right now I'm at 1 inch armpit and 3/4 inch chest. Will nail clippings show one time use 5 months ago?
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 09:28 PM
Yes. Drugs, to some extent, are incorporated into hair during the growth (anagen) cycle via attachment to a compound known as eumelanin (that determines color of hair). That process must occur in the hair root (papilla).
Hair, by bodily region, grows at different rates. Axillary, for instance, at far lesser rate than scalp. Therefore, the appearance of the drug is slower and remains within the hair structure longer. The slower the hair grows the longer the drug is detectable.
So does this mean that even though say the drug is out of the bloodstream in 10 days that it will sit in the hair root just waiting for the next growth phase?
DrBill100
Sep 30, 2012, 09:46 PM
So does this mean that even though say the drug is out of the bloodstream in 10 days that it will sit in the hair root just waiting for the next growth phase?
That is pretty much on point. If the drug is incorporated into hair it is from circulation (direct and/or indirect). If the drug attaches to a component of hair it would indeed then follow the growth rate of same. That is the basic assumption of hair testing.
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 09:53 PM
That is pretty much on point. If the drug is incorporated into hair it is from circulation (direct and/or indirect). If the drug attaches to a component of hair it would indeed then follow the growth rate of same. That is the basic assumption of hair testing.
I wish I would not have taken that one line but, what is the shortest length they will accept for chest hair?
DrBill100
Sep 30, 2012, 10:09 PM
I wish I would not have taken that one line but, what is the shortest length they will accept for chest hair?
It seems that you are misunderstanding hair drug testing (HDT). The process does not relate to length of hair but to amount of hair. Your hair is not tested only the extracted contents thereof.
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 10:16 PM
It seems that you are misunderstanding hair drug testing (HDT). The process does not relate to length of hair but to amount of hair. Your hair is not tested only the extracted contents thereof.
My question is if I show up with say 1/2" of armpit hair and 1/2" of chin hair but nothing else is that better than showing up with 3/4" inch of armpit hair and will they accept that as a long enough sample?
DrBill100
Sep 30, 2012, 10:47 PM
My question is if I show up with say 1/2" of armpit hair and 1/2" of chin hair but nothing else is that better than showing up with 3/4" inch of armpit hair and will they accept that as a long enough sample?
Unaswerable.There are no rules or regulations that apply to hair drug testing. It is an unregulated industry unless specifically curtailed by state or federal law.
State law: (suggest checking each)
State laws: STATE DRUG TESTING LAWS: CA, TX, NY, FL, IL, PA, ALL 50 STATES (http://ohsinc.com/state-drug-testing-laws/)
SHRM record: http://www.shrm.org/legalissues/stateandlocalresources/stateandlocalstatutesandregulations/documents/state%20drug%20testing%20laws.pdf
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 10:52 PM
Unaswerable.There are no rules or regulations that apply to hair drug testing. It is an unregulated industry unless specifically curtailed by state or federal law.
State law: (suggest checking each)
State laws: STATE DRUG TESTING LAWS: CA, TX, NY, FL, IL, PA, ALL 50 STATES (http://ohsinc.com/state-drug-testing-laws/)
SHRM record: http://www.shrm.org/legalissues/stateandlocalresources/stateandlocalstatutesandregulations/documents/state%20drug%20testing%20laws.pdf
Thank you for your responses and I will report my results when I receive them, to be on the safer side I am g
kathird
Sep 30, 2012, 10:54 PM
Thank you for your responses and I will report my results when I receive them, to be on the safer side I am going to leave only armpit hair and chest hair at 3/4" and see what happens.
kathird
Oct 1, 2012, 04:58 PM
That is pretty much on point. If the drug is incorporated into hair it is from circulation (direct and/or indirect). If the drug attaches to a component of hair it would indeed then follow the growth rate of same. That is the basic assumption of hair testing.
Just took the test, they took about half a pencil width of armpit hair, from both sides a little less than 3/4". Total days since the one line is exactly 177, I've got my fingers crossed.
kathird
Oct 3, 2012, 09:21 PM
Still no word, how long does it take them to respond?
kathird
Oct 10, 2012, 12:31 PM
Still no word, it's been 9 days and the background check is complete but no word from HR yet. I called psychemedics and they would only tell me they sent the results to the employer 24 hours later, I think that means I passed.
kathird
Oct 12, 2012, 08:50 PM
Passed!