Hair follicle testing no longer reliable in court proceedings
In family court proceedings, it is often the case that one party accuses the other of being a drug abuser. For example, when child services agencies get involved in child protection cases it is often because of worries that a parent has drug dependency issues. For years, courts in provinces like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have been relying on hair follicle analysis done by an Ontario-based laboratory known as Motherisk. But no longer. That lab has been discredited and the reverberations are being felt far beyond this one case. Lately, some judges have expressed deep concerns about hair follicle testing in general. It’s as if the controversy surrounding one lab has contaminated all others. Some judges have made it clear they will lend little weight to hair follicle test results. Such a position by judges leaves many wondering what the next step will be. One thing is certain though; it has become much more difficult to raise concerns of drug use by a parent in family court proceedings.