NCJ Number
201497
Journal
Drug Court Review Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: Summer 2002 Pages: 83-104
Date Published
2003
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the use of creatinine-normalization of marijuana drug test results by drug courts.
Abstract
Creatinine-normalized urine drug tests are used to establish either continued participant abstinence or to differentiate between new drug exposure and residual drug excretion. But confusion exists regarding the application of this approach in a drug court setting. The need for drug court teams to use drug test results to establish either continued participant abstinence or to differentiate between new drug exposure and residual drug excretion can be compelling. This is especially true for marijuana because of its protracted elimination profile. A court’s response to a second positive marijuana urine test varies by program and may result in different consequences for drug court clients. The calculations for determining both continued participant abstinence and for differentiating between new drug exposure and residual drug excretion are reviewed. Drug courts should move cautiously in employing the techniques of creatinine-normalized results. While the use of this method for determining continued participant abstinence is straightforward, the interpretation of creatinine-normalization data for the purposes of differentiation between new marijuana use and continuing drug elimination is more complex. It is recommended that the 1.5 specimen ratio standard be employed if creatinine-normalized cannabinoid results are to be used in drug courts due to the legal nature of the proceedings. A non-normalized method for making these differentiations, using only qualitative drug test results (positive/negative) is presented. 18 references