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These common drug tests lead to tens of thousands of wrongful arrests a year, experts say. One state is fighting back

Krdo · · 2281 words · By CNN Newssource
open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/04/05/these-common-drug-tests-lead-to-tens-of-thousan…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

16 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 6
help Insufficient Evidence 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 3
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“These common drug tests lead to tens of thousands of wrongful arrests a year, experts say.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources independently report that colorimetric drug tests contribute to tens of thousands of wrongful arrests annually, with specific figures cited in multiple articles.
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web search NEUTRAL — These $2testsare frequently wrong and contribute totensofthousandsofwrongfularrestsinthe United States each year.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/31/police-dr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Every year,tensofthousandsofinnocent Americans are arrested on the basisof$2.00 roadsidedrugtestkits that are known to give false positives.
https://reason.com/2024/01/09/study-estimates-roadside-drug-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Drugtestingis a crucial toolinlaw enforcement, but what happens when thesetestsgo awry?Ina shocking revelation,tensofthousandsofwrongful...
https://hawaiiccw.com/article/colorado-s-colorimetric-drug-t…
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“Colorado just enacted the nation’s first law banning arrests based solely on the results of colorimetric drug tests.”
CORROBORATED
Three distinct web sources confirm Colorado enacted the first U.S. law banning arrests based solely on colorimetric drug test results, with details from CNN, FindLaw, and other outlets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Coloradojust enacted the nation’sfirstlawbanningarrestsbasedsolely on theresultsofcolorimetricdrugtests– a fieldtestwidely used bylawenforcement across the country. Thetestsare popular because they’re…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/05/us/colorado-field-drug-test-l…
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web search NEUTRAL — Coloradohas becomethefirststate topassalawbanning anarrestbasedsolely on acolorimetricdrugtest, a common tool used by police to identify suspected narcotics in the field.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/colorado-passes-first-na…
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web search NEUTRAL — Coloradobecamethefirststate topassalawplacing limits on theresultsfromcolorimetricfielddrugtests. Learn more at FindLaw.
https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/colorado-pas…
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“The tests are popular because they’re cheap, portable and can screen for drugs in mere minutes.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results consistently cite the low cost, portability, and rapid results of colorimetric tests as reasons for their widespread use in law enforcement.
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 5, 2025 ·Colorado legislators have proposed a working group to study the use ofcolorimetricdrugtestswithin the criminal-legal system, and identify less-harmful alternatives. The group would analyz…
https://filtermag.org/colorimetric-field-drug-tests-courts-p…
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web search NEUTRAL — Unreliable and Lead to Wrongful Arrests and Convictions More than half of the 1.5 milliondrugarrests each year involve the use ofcolorimetricfieldteststhat use color-changing chemical reactions to det…
https://reason.org/wp-content/uploads/colorimetric-field-dru…
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web search NEUTRAL — This model seeks to limit the harm enabled by error-pronecolorimetricfielddrugtests. The widespread use of presumptive fielddrugtestkits is generating tens of thousands of wrongful arrests in which in…
https://alec.org/model-policy/to-regulate-the-use-of-the-col…
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“Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that colorimetric drug tests have error rates between 15% to 38%.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries for Pennsylvania universities do not mention any studies on colorimetric test error rates, and no relevant content was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of colleges and universities in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is home to a number of universities, both public and private. The Pennsylvania State System of High…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 as t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_State_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pennsylvania
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“A study by the New York City Department of Investigation showed test error rates from 79% to 91% in some correctional settings.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries for New York City departments do not reference the claimed study on correctional facility error rates.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE; also known as New York City Public Schools) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Department_of_Ed…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is a law enforcement agency of the government of New York City that serves as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Department_of_In…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), also known as the New York City Fire Department, is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is respon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Fire_Department
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“Bird poop scraped off a man’s car appeared on a drug test as cocaine.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No web, cross-reference, or Wikipedia evidence was found to support this claim.
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“A toddler’s ashes registered as methamphetamine or ecstasy.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches, cross-references, or Wikipedia to verify this claim.
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“A great-grandmother’s medicine tested positive for cocaine.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No relevant evidence was found in web searches, cross-references, or Wikipedia to support this claim.
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“Colorimetric tests are pouches containing chemicals that change color when certain substances or compounds are detected.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches, cross-references, or Wikipedia to confirm the technical description of colorimetric tests.
verified
“More reliable electronic drug testing devices cost between $24,000 to $80,000.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries for 'Portable' and related terms do not mention costs of electronic drug testing devices, and no relevant content was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Portable may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1993 used to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of appli…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable
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“The chemical characteristic of amphetamine has similar characteristics to the chemical compound for sugar.”
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“Former Georgia Southern University quarterback Shai Werts was suspended after a colorimetric test falsely identified bird droppings as cocaine.”
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“In Illinois, officers claimed a 2-year-old girl’s cremated remains tested positive for methamphetamine or ecstasy.”
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“In Florida, Kena’z Edwards was jailed for over three months after a colorimetric test falsely identified lidocaine as cocaine.”
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“A 13-year-old girl in Iowa was expelled from school after cookies she brought tested positive for THC on a field drug test.”
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“Holly Bennett, a 65-year-old Coloradan, was charged with cocaine possession after a colorimetric test falsely identified her prescribed Ritalin as cocaine.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.