News

Substance-abuse screener makes eye contact

September 1, 2003

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. -- Local substance abuse counselors want to offer concerned parents a new type of drug testing: a machine that can determine the presence of drugs or alcohol by recording the way the eye reacts to light.

According to a report in the Stuart News,the $100,000 PassPoint Substance Abuse Screener, could be set up in a location with easy access for residents, such as outside health offices.

For parents who want their children tested, the process would work like this: First, a "baseline" test would be done, a combination of the eye scan and a urine analysis to ensure a "clean reading" that there are no drugs in the system. After the baseline is established, if parents suspect the child is using drugs, they would return to the PassPoint location.

The PassPoint machine is about the size of a filing cabinet and looks similar to vision machines used at driver's license offices. A test takes about 30-seconds and can be self-administered by punching a pre-assigned ID number into a keypad on the machine, according to the report.

PassPoint scans for the eight most frequently detected substances, including marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and alcohol.

The machine could also be used be used for juveniles and adults who are going through drug court and receive regular testing. By saving the money now spent on chemicals and other expenses involved in urine drug testing, town officials estimate PassPoint could probably pay for itself in five years.

Parents could be charged only a nominal fee to have their children tested to establish a baseline. They then would be re-tested for free, as often as they want, the report said.