20: Hair Testing in Forensic Toxicology
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Published:14 Jul 2016
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Special Collection: RSC eTextbook CollectionProduct Type: Textbooks
D. M. Cave and R. Kingston, in Forensic Toxicology: Drug Use and Misuse, ed. S. Davies, A. Johnston, and D. Holt, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016, pp. 411-425.
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Hair testing has been successfully used worldwide and continues to show great promise and potential to demonstrate usefulness for many years to come. This chapter discusses the importance of applying correct cut-off levels as well as the need for accreditation and participation in proficiency testing to obtain accurate and robust results. The challenges the hair testing industry face, especially in relation to cannabis, as well as commonly asked queries on issued results, are looked at in depth, including patterns and trends of results obtained in the past few years. The ever changing drug culture means that hair testing cannot stand still and must adapt and change on demand to ensure that the clients who use hair testing are getting the most information they can.