Drug abuse is a growing concern for many parents, partners and employers in the UK. A recent BBC report showed that over £800 million is lost each year due to drug abuse in the work place, while a report from the National Union of Teachers claims that 1 in 5 children would have handled drugs by the age of 13.

Spotting drug abuse can be difficult, especially when the user is trying hard to disguise the effects. You can learn more about drugs of abuse at www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages.html

Why test?
Drug abuse is potentially dangerous for the user, and not just because of the potential legal consequences. Over half of those arrested tested positive for at least one drug in a Home Office study, and maximum prison sentences range up to 14 years.

There are physical and psychological effects to consider too. This is especially the case where drugs (possibly of different types, such as stimulants and depressants)are mixed - including with alcohol - making their effects unpredictable, or where needles are shared for injecting drugs (as this can help to spread HIV and hepatitis).

Its important to remember that drug abuse can also have a massive impact on relationships, schoolwork, employed work - and even on partners' and parents' health as a result of the worry that actual or suspected use can cause.

How BookaTEST can help
Now help is at hand. If you are an employer, parent or partner you may want to know what is happening, or to seek reassurance where drug abuse is only suspected. Our tests allow you to spot check, from a simple urine sample, for traces of a variety of drugs.