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DIY drug test kit for sale

PRIVATE EYE: Andrew Nathalien of Drug Detective shows us how quick and accurate tests can be. Pic. Mohau Mofokeng. 25/05/07. © Sowetan.
PRIVATE EYE: Andrew Nathalien of Drug Detective shows us how quick and accurate tests can be. Pic. Mohau Mofokeng. 25/05/07. © Sowetan.

Zinhle Mapumulo

Zinhle Mapumulo

Ever suspected that your child was using drugs and you wanted proof before confrontation? Do not despair - a new do-it-yourself drug screening test kit has hit the South African market.

Drug Detective is available at most retail pharmacies around the country. The test can be done in the absence of the suspected drug user.

Parents only need to swipe the surfaces that have potentially come into contact with drugs. It can be cellphones, school bags, even clothes.

Andrew Nathalien of Drug Detective said it was quick and accurate.

"Results from the test indicate the presence or absence of drugs. If the test is positive for drugs, it will also indicate what type of drug the surface came into contact with - all in just 10 minutes," he said.

"Drug users always leave trace amounts of drugs on everything they touch. The surfaces of packaging, school bags, luggage handles, desktops, computer keyboards and toilet seats can now be tested for trace amounts of narcotics.

"Even if there are only a few nanograms [10 billionth of a gram] of a narcotic on the surface, the device will detect and identify the narcotic," said Nathalien.

Sowetan put Drug Detective to the test yesterday and the results were satisfactory.

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