Audio By Carbonatix
Last month, we reported that drug tests capable of detecting “synthetic marijuana” use were being developed and were expected to be available by the end of this year.
Well, one laboratory moved faster. Yesterday, California-based Redwood Toxicology Laboratory (RTL) announced it now offers lab-based testing for so-called “fake pot” metabolites (if you need some background on “synthetic marijuana,” check out the Buzz Buzz archives.)
According to the Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Web site, this new test identifies metabolites from synthetic cannabinoid compounds JWH-018 and JWH-073. The test is a urine test, and will reportedly detect metabolites from the JWH compounds up to 72 hours after they’re ingested, depending on the dosage.
In a company press release, RTL scientific director Sumandeep Rana
says, “Developing a urine test for JWH-018 and JWH-073 was very
challenging. Since parent compounds are not usually found in urine, we
had to identify the metabolites…If you only look for the parent drug in
urine, you will have a lot of false negatives. The accuracy of this
test could have a real impact on the drug testing industry.”
RTL touts the test as “ideal for a number of criminal situations including drug courts, probation, and parole.”
But before recreational JWH users get in an uproar about wide-scale
JWH drug tests, it should be noted that although RTL is federally
certified, it is a private company, and clients who want JWH urine
tests have to pay for them (we called RTL for a price quote; as of this
writing, we’re still waiting for a response).
And since JWH compounds are still legal in Arizona (except on U.S.
military bases), JWH drug tests aren’t likely to be rampant in the
state anytime soon.
