Hair drug testing is a method used to detect the presence of drugs or their metabolites in a person’s hair follicles. A small sample of hair is collected from the individual’s scalp and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Unlike other forms of drug testing, hair testing offers a longer detection window, typically spanning several months, making it useful for assessing long-term drug use patterns.

The five drugs of abuse groups analyzed include cocaine, opiates (including heroin metabolite 6-MAM, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and codeine), phencyclidine (PCP), amphetamines (including methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA-Ecstasy, MDEA-Eve, and MDA, and marijuana (carboxy-THC).

These groups encompass some of the most abused prescription drugs such as oxycodone (e.g., Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan, Roxicodone, hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab, and hydromorphone (Dilaudid).