More employees buying products to 'beat' drug testsBy Kelli Cheatham (kcheatham@wsbt.com)
The market is growing for products that claim to help you pass a drug test. (WSBT photo) The rising costs of insurance and workers' compensation are leading more employers to test their workers for drugs. But some people will try anything to pass those tests. WSBT went undercover to find out more about a booming local market in trying to help people beat the system. Multimedia Some people swear you can trick a drug test. "A lot of people count on [these products],” said one employee at Orbit Music in South Bend. “They come in and buy the same one over and over." When we asked an employee at Bird’s Eye View, a tobacco store in Niles, if he had ever used the products to pass a drug test, he said they’re pretty easy to use. We took our undercover cameras inside both Orbit Music and Bird’s Eye View to find out more about the alleged drug passing products. “Both of these take a full hour to kick in,” explained a worker at the tobacco shop. “This [product] actually [gets rid of] blood, urine and saliva.” From pills to so-called “cleansing drinks” to a shampoo, even fake urine that can be warmed up to body temperature to help someone pass the test, our cameras saw all the products people say they use to pass a drug test when drugs are still in their system. We asked the employees at Orbit Music if anyone has ever told them the products don’t work. ”Not that I know of,” he replied. But why are so many people spending up to $50 or $60 on these products? St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Occupational Health manager Wendy Knight says many jobs won’t tell a prospective employee that they’re going to be drug tested. “That’s becoming more prominent in the South Bend area," she said. Knight also told WSBT more workers are getting hurt on the job. She says some of those injuries happen because employees are impaired by drugs. That, coupled with rising insurance rates, is causing local employers to drug test their workers more often. That means Knight sees up to three or four people a day doing whatever it takes to try and beat that test. But Knight said paying money to pass a test could actually do the opposite. “It could actually show that it’s adulterated, which means something’s been added to it,” Knight explained. “And the lab can pick up on that.” Still, local stores say business is booming for the products. “I've got union workers who use it because they do like random [testing] at the job site,” said an employee at Bird’s Eye View. “I've had people who come in with jobs at hospitals and use it, and it works good for that.” Using one of the products to try and get past your own drug test could help you get the job, or send you looking for a new one. “There are a few people I'm sure that get through,” Wendy Knight said. “But generally with our testing it's very hard.” The bottom line — the products might be out there, but experts say taking them to pass a drug test is a gamble. Most Popular
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