This article was originally published on Today’s Family Lawyer
Writing in Family Law Week Coram Chambers Barrister Sarah Branson alongside Paul Hunter, Forensic toxicologist consider the limits of Hair strand testing (HST) how it works and some of the pitfalls in relying solely on this form of testing.
Hair strand testing (HST) is the most common form of testing used to produce evidence for the courts in these cases. Despite guidance from the High Court and compelling evidence accumulated over the past 25 years confirming that current industry practices used to produce HST reports for court is significantly flawed, HST results are often taken as definitive. A positive test will often lead the court to conclude drug usage has taken place, notwithstanding the fact there may be little corroborating evidence to support that conclusion and compelling evidence confirming the conclusions are wrong in an unacceptably high proportion of cases.
To read the full article and listen to the podcast episode please visit: Hair strand testing | Are children at risk from substance misuse? – Today’s Family Lawyer (todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk)
