Psychemedics Pleased New Government Drug Testing Rules Include Hair

Psychemedics Corporation (ticker: PMD, exchange: American Stock Exchange) News Release - 13-Apr-2004

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Psychemedics Corporation (Amex: PMD) is pleased that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, today issued proposed new rules for mandatory federal drug testing that include specimens of hair, saliva and sweat, along with urine.

The proposed rules would allow federal agencies to utilize their choice of specimens for mandatory federal testing programs, affecting several hundred thousand federal workers. Additionally, these federal standards are generally followed by regulatory agencies that require testing in industries they oversee, potentially affecting millions of workplace drug tests performed by US employers such as the airline and trucking industries. Also, many unregulated private sector employers may choose to model their drug testing on the federal program.

"We are pleased that the proposed new rules would allow federal testing programs to incorporate the use of hair testing that the private sector has utilized successfully for quite some time," said Raymond C. Kubacki, President and CEO of Psychemedics Corporation, the world's largest provider of drug testing using hair as a specimen.

Under the proposed rules, federal agencies will be able to tailor their programs to use the most effective test for a particular purpose.

Hair testing provides longer detection periods (several months) and is particularly well suited and effective in pre-employment and random testing. The shorter detection periods available with urine or saliva are effective with post accident and reasonable suspicion testing.

"Under the proposal, agencies can utilize the most accurate and reliable test to detect and deter drug use, appropriate for the specific situation and would no longer be required to rely solely on urine testing," continued Kubacki. "This will benefit the agencies, the employees and the public --- a rare win, win, win situation."

Psychemedics Corporation is the world's largest provider of hair testing for drugs of abuse. Its client list includes thousands of corporations (over 10% of the Fortune 500), which use hair testing as part of their drug-free workplace programs. In addition, some of the country's largest police departments as well as schools and Federal Reserve banks also rely on Psychemedics' patented hair tests. Psychemedics Corporation is the only laboratory to have received FDA clearance on all of its assays for hair drug analysis.

Contact:
William Thistle
Sr. Vice President and General Counsel
(978) 206-8220
billt at psychemedics.com