“Shifting the spotlight from marijuana to the paramount threat of fentanyl.”
The Acton-based company Psychemedics has never been a friend to users of illicit substances. Their cannabis drug-testing technology, used across the country by municipalities and private companies alike, have been used to justify countless firings. In some cases, the accuracy of their proprietary hair-testing method has been questioned by people whose lives were impacted by the results of their screens.
But now, Psychemedics appears to be making up for its past. Kind of. They’re still in the drug analysis industry, but according to the company, their new Advanced 5-Panel Drug Screen “will transform the way organizations safeguard their workplaces, shifting the spotlight from marijuana to the paramount threat of fentanyl.” “Complemented by the detection of cocaine, opioids, PCP, and amphetamines,” Psychemedics stated in a media release, “the advanced panel is a leap forward in drug screening technology.”
We’re not sure that they’re making the shift for the right reason—to save lives, and because nobody should have ever tested for grass in the first place. Still, it’s always great to see prohibitionists cashing in on marijuana’s good name, plus perhaps some good could come from their protecting the bottom line of major companies. Let’s assume that in some cases, businesses will seek help for employees who are using dangerous substances and not just send them packing for having a dirty hair sample. More from Psychemedics below:
As we grapple with an ongoing labor shortage and with marijuana’s legal landscape evolving in 49 states, it’s clear that the time for a change has come. Traditional 5-panel drug tests, rooted in a four-decade-old paradigm, have failed to evolve in today’s drug market and are unable to detect the rising drug, fentanyl.
For decades, Psychemedics has remained at the forefront of innovation, responding to the ever-evolving needs of our clients. The Advanced 5-Panel Drug Screen epitomizes this legacy, offering clients a cost-effective choice to adapt their testing protocols in sync with evolving priorities and employment policies. More importantly, it ensures that resources and dollars are invested in identifying the threats that matter most to organizations today.
The impact of this offering is not merely theoretical; it is supported by a recent independent study encompassing nearly 1 million drug tests. The findings demonstrate that hair testing outperforms traditional methods in detecting the most abused substances, such as opioids, cocaine, and amphetamines. The Advanced 5-Panel Drug Screen is crafted to focus exclusively on these critical threats, ensuring the highest level of security for organizations.
“Few challenges in the workplace have undergone as dramatic a transformation as the shifting dynamics between marijuana and fentanyl,” Psychemedics President and CEO Brian Hullinger said in a statement. “Recognizing this shift, Psychemedics has developed the Advanced 5-Panel to bridge the gap.”
We’re not exactly sure what he means by that, but as long as the shift is away from weed, we’ll take it.
