This is certainly an interesting development. It seems there is legislation under review regarding DOT hair follicle testing particularly for truck drivers dating back to 2015 in response to the opioid crisis. If approved by the regulatory agencies involved DOT, DHHS, and OBM this could apply to mariners as well going into effect 2020, however the legal status and questionable accuracy of hair tests has stalled the bill for further review.
Having some personal experience with hair testing, I find it problematic for a couple of reasons. It is more invasive than you might first think. A minimum 1.5” sample the diameter of a pencil must be cut close to the scalp and yes that’s going to leave an awkward bald spot in your nice hair. If you are bald, they are going to take samples from your armpits, chest, groin or legs. Do you really want some random collector plucking at your hair? Additionally, hair tests do not detect impairment whatsoever. The minimum time drugs can be detected is 7-10 days, the time needed for hair to grow out from the scalp. I wonder if they are considering using both urine and hair tests in a combination program. The double whammy. Hair testing is about five times more expensive than urine testing so there’s that to consider as well.
1 Like