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Study: You Can Test Positive for Cannabis on a Hair Test Despite Having Never Used it

News, Studies

October 11, 2015

by TheJointBlog

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, and published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health, has found that hair drug tests for cannabis are entirely inaccurate, as it’s possible for someone to test positive for the substance despite having never consumed it.

The study has huge implications, given that; “Hair analysis for cannabinoids is extensively applied in workplace drug testing and in child protection cases”.

When testing for ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THC-COOH), or ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A), researchers found that “all three cannabinoids can be present in hair of non-consuming individuals because of transfer through cannabis consumers, via their hands, their sebum/sweat, or cannabis smoke.”

The study notes that; “This is of concern for e.g. child-custody cases as cannabinoid findings in a child’s hair may be caused by close contact to cannabis consumers rather than by inhalation of side-stream smoke.”

The full study, conducted at the University of Freiburg in Germany, can be found by clicking here.

– TheJointBlog