Understanding Hair Follicle Drug Tests: How Long Can Cocaine Persist?

“If I did less than a gram of coke seven weeks ago will it show up on the hair follicle drug test I took this week?”

It is indeed possible for a hair follicle drug test to detect cocaine usage that occurred as far back as seven weeks ago, or even longer. Hair tests are favored by many employers and law enforcement agencies due to their high accuracy and virtually unbreakable threshold for detection.

Why Choose Hair Follicle Testing?

Hair is used instead of blood or saliva for drug testing because it is practically impossible to manipulate the results. Unlike blood and saliva, which clear faster, cocaine molecules can be detected in your hair long after the drug has left your system.

How Does It Work?

The hair sample used for the test is typically the hair growing from the scalp, as it can indicate drug use over a prolonged period. The hair not only shows recent drug use but can also provide a timeline of past usage dating back several months.

Key Points:

Traces of cocaine can be detected in hair follicles for up to 6 months or longer, depending on the specific test and the length of your hair. Even a small amount of cocaine, such as less than a gram, can still be detected if you have not shaved your head. Cocaine molecules can persist in the hair without being washed away over time.

Cocaine in Your Hair After One Usage

Is the hair you took one seven weeks ago one that has been growing since you did the coke? Unless you shaved every single strand of hair on your head after using cocaine, there's no guarantee you would pass the test. Even a small amount of cocaine can remain in your hair for a long time.

Will It Show Up?

Should a gram of coke show up on a hair follicle test after seven weeks? The answer is yes, provided the test is properly conducted. The test can detect the presence of numerous molecules of cocaine, even if it was just a small amount used a short time ago.

Considering that most cocaine nowadays is of high purity, it is highly unlikely that a gram of coke would be completely undetectable after a week. The substance can remain in the hair for a significant amount of time, thus being detected even after seven weeks.

Precision of the Test

Hair follicle testing is not affected by time like blood or saliva testing. With saliva or blood tests, the amount of the substance detected decreases over time. However, in the case of hair, the drug molecules remain in the hair, making it a more reliable method for prolonged detection.

The test can show a timeline of drug use. If you haven't cut your hair, the test will reveal drug use that occurred around the time your hair last grew. To hide drug use that occurred seven weeks ago, you would need to cut your hair so that only the hair grown post-abstinence remains.

Furthermore, if you completely shaved your head, the detection date would revert to the last haircut date, as the new hair doesn't contain any drug traces.

Conclusion

In summary, hair follicle drug tests can detect cocaine usage that occurred several weeks or months ago. This method is highly accurate and can provide a detailed timeline of drug use. To pass such tests, it is crucial to manage your hair and consider its growth pattern.