Hair follicle testing/ cocaine and alcohol?

Question

My brother had to do a hair follicle test. He tested positive for cocaine. He said something about "parts per 25,000" and that he tested over 15,000. He also said that alcohol showed in it.

He claims that it takes 10 days for coke to get into hair. He said that the test was on day 11 since the last time he did it. He says he is not an everyday user, that it's only every once in a while. That the levels were high because it was the day after it got into the hair and it hit it full force. (Lol, it sounds like crackhead reasoning to me.)

What I want to know is this. Is 15,000 an extraordinary amount? Can alcohol show up in a hair follicle test (if you are an alcoholic)? Is his reasoning about it being the 11th day right, or is he really an every day user?

Answer 1

The hair follicle test is conclusive for tested drugs for the last 12 month period.

I am NOT an expert on this system. We still use urine tests at our department, but I did attend seminars on follicle testing so I do have knowledge of how this works.

From what I have seen, it is a cumulative reading taken from as little as 12 hair samples. I would have to give benefit of the doubt here for your brother since I have had rudimentary training, but from what little I had been shown, current use does not make the count any higher. It just adds up within the 12 month period.

Basically, as I understand it, your brother toots quite a bit.

Best of luck and I hope this is useful