# How is this legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620 "2002-07-31T01:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brilharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Brilharma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brilharma)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/1 "2002-07-31T01:30:02Z")
I was on another website and got this as a popup: [http://www.drugtesthelp.com/](http://www.drugtesthelp.com/) How is this legal? Why don’t the just sell someone else urine or hair so you can tape it to your leg to get away with drug tests. Or am I missing the point entirelly? Figured you’d know. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/2 "2002-07-31T01:35:25Z")
I’m unaware of any laws against “pee-cleaning” products, but sending pee through the mail might be a bit dodgy. ---
**Author:** ![Brilharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Brilharma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brilharma)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/3 "2002-07-31T01:48:02Z")
But isn’t this making drug tests useless? I mean if you use this you could just apply before going to work and pass?If this caught on wouldn’t everyone pass their drug tests, whether clean or not? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/4 "2002-07-31T01:52:56Z")
I don’t think “making drug tests useless” is a crime. (They’re pretty useless to begin with, anyway… the only drug that’s detectable for more than about 2 days is marijuana.) ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/5 "2002-07-31T02:36:02Z")
Damn, I chimed in to debunk **Mr2002** ’s post. Found a cite to verify his claim. [http://www.drugdetectiondevices.com/druginfo.html](http://www.drugdetectiondevices.com/druginfo.html) Rock on, **Mr2002** ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/6 "2002-07-31T02:54:43Z")
Darn, **Mr2001** had a birthday and we all missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Brilharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Brilharma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brilharma)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/7 "2002-07-31T03:00:53Z")
So now that stockton has determined it is illegal, why is this site still up and operating? Does no one know about it yet or are they just ignoring it? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/8 "2002-07-31T03:31:28Z")
Um, no one has determined that anything is illegal. While private companies may decide to test for drugs, there’s nothing to suggest that doing anything to avoid detection is against the law. Even if it was a government agency, it’s not clear that it is illegal to do possess these products or to sell them. Many things that seem designed to thwart or avoid certain tests or even laws aren’t necessarily illegal in the US. You can use radar detectors in most states, a device whose main purpose is to avoid speeding tickets. Just because someone wants to test you, it doesn’t mean that thwarting that test is illegal. It may cost you a job if you are found out, and it may be illegal for other reasons (such as lying on a medical, SS, Medicare, etc form) but possession of the products probably is OK. ---
**Author:** ![Brilharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Brilharma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brilharma)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/9 "2002-07-31T04:40:41Z")
I apologize for jumping to conclusions Telemark. And you make a good point about the radar detectors, i forgot about those. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-legal/121620/10 "2002-07-31T15:09:47Z")
A while ago I read that some states were beginning to criminalize this stuff. I thought it was in Salon but I searched their archives and came up empty. But generally, things are legal until they’re declared illegal by Congress or a state legislature. Up until recently, no legislature had done so, but now I think they’re starting to do so. –Cliffy