FORENSIC QUALITY
Hair Drug Testing
Cellmark’s hair strand drug testing and alcohol testing service provides rapid, reliable scientific analysis which is clearly reported and simply explained.
Call us today on 0800 036 2522 for a free, no-obligation, consultation with one of our advisers
WE WON'T LET YOU DOWN
Why should I choose Cellmark?
Whether you are arranging testing for yourself or acting on behalf of a client - our rapid reliable service, considerable experience and exceptional service sets us apart.
- Instant quotations online or by phone.
- Competitive pricing you'll be surprised how good our pricing is!
- Trusted by private and public sector customers for 35 years
We are also one of the largest suppliers of forensic analysis to the police and are the UK’s leading DNA paternity tester delivering market leading scientific testing to the general public, the legal community and the courts.
SIMPLE TRANSPARENT PRICING
What are my hair drug testing options?
Cellmark routinely tests for 29 common ‘drugs of abuse’ and drug metabolites (breakdown products) which can be selected from our panel of drugs and drug groups. Our panel consists of the 8 drug groups most frequently tested for by courts.
Simply select one, two or even three named drugs/drug groups from the list if that is all you need, but if you don’t know which drugs could have been taken, or if you need to test for more than three named drugs then we will run and report our entire panel, which then becomes the most economic option.
When you register a hair drug testing case you will need to:
- Amphetamine
- Methamphetamines - including MDMA (ecstasy)
- Benzodiazepines - including diazepam, desmethyldiazepam (nordiazepam), temazepam, chlordiazepoxide, flurazepam, midazolam and nitrazepam
- Cannabis
- Cocaine - including markers to indicate the use of ‘crack’ cocaine and the concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol
- Ketamine
- Methadone
- Opiates – including morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, heroin and markers of heroin use
Our Hair Drug testing service is designed to comply with the legal aid funding guidelines. For details of UKAS accreditation please see our critical reporting limits information.
Head hair grows at an average rate of approximately one centimetre (cm) per month with a range of between approximately 0.7 and 1.5cm per month. At Cellmark we assume a growth rate of 1cm per month for our calculations when determining a history of use.
You can ask us to analyse either a single section of head hair, or multiple ‘sections’. A single section provides an overview for that period of time and can be between 1 and 3cm (i.e. one, two or three month periods) to demonstrate patterns of any drug use over a period of time. The number of sections that can be tested will be dependent upon the length of sample available.
Click an option below to get an instant price for your testing
Price A: 1 drug/drug group
Price B: 2 drugs/drug groups
Price C: 3 drugs/drug groups
Price D: All 8 drugs/drug groups
Example Price: Our price for a full panel of 8 drug groups for a 3 month overview, including sampling and a witness statement is just £390.00 (+VAT).
WE'RE HERE TO HELP
How do I arrange sampling and testing?
Cellmark's accredited hair drug testing and alcohol testing service is simple to understand, easy to organise and delivers comprehensive results.
- You can obtain an instant hair drug testing quote and register your hair drug testing case using our online registration service or by calling Cellmark's dedicated Customer Services team on 0800 036 2522.
- We will arrange a hair sampling appointment for you or your client with one of our professional mobile samplers at a location and at time that is convenient.
- The hair sample(s) and paperwork will then be sent to Cellmark for analysis.
- We aim to despatch the test report to you by email or first-class post within 5-7 working days of receipt of your sample at our laboratory.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Further Hair Drug Testing Information
Testing hair samples is a non-invasive method of providing evidence of an individual's history of drug or alcohol use. It can provide a record over a longer period of time (months rather than days) than any other sample type such as blood, urine or oral fluid.
Hair is fed by a blood supply so substances that are circulating in the bloodstream can become incorporated into the growing hair. Hair can also incorporate drugs and other substances from sweat or sebum (an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands that helps to prevent hair and skin from drying out) or from environmental exposure to smoke or vapour.
Our panel consists of the 8 drug groups most frequently tested for by courts but we are able to test for other drugs on request. If you need us to test for a drug not on our standard panel please call our Customer services team (free) on 0800 036 2522.
It is estimated to take approximately 5-7 days from the time of drug use or exposure for head hair containing the drug markers to grow above the scalp and be available for cutting and analysis. It is recommended to wait at least three to four weeks following the suspected use of a drug before collection of a sample so that the period of use/exposure is included in the collected sample.
Body hair has a similar rate of growth as head hair, with a range of between approximately 0.9 and 1.1cm per month, but it has a different pattern of growth and resting phases. It has been estimated that body hair has a much higher proportion, approximately 40% - 60%, in the resting phase compared to only 10% - 15% for head hair.
As a consequence body hair samples are not divided into sections for analysis and any use of or exposure to a detected drug may have been in the weeks prior to the sample collection or many months earlier than this.
For an accurate test we require a sample which is the approximate diameter of a standard drinking straw. This amount of hair is unlikely to give any considerable cosmetic concern to the donor.
Useful Links
From ensuring that you have the right information before commencing the testing process to understanding what the final test report means - we aim to provide assistance every step of the way.
Court guidance
FRANK - drugs advice
Society of Hair Testing
You can also pay for advice from a local legal advisor or solicitor – a number of firms have responded to the legal aid changes by offering fixed price services.