Have You Been Drinking or Using Drugs? Police Officers Will Soon be Able to Answer Both Parts of This Question in Just Minutes

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 1998--

Fred Reno, Former L.A.P.D. Detective Lieutenant and Narcotics Officer, Available for Interviews

What if a police officer could tell if a suspect was under the influence of illegal drugs in a matter of minutes, as easily as the officer could administer a breathalyzer test for alcohol?

At holiday checkpoints across the nation this month, police officers will routinely administer breathalyzer tests to determine if a suspect is under the influence of alcohol.

However, statistics show that about 50 percent of drivers under the influence are actually under the influence of drugs, not alcohol. (Marijuananews note: not really, but that is another story.)
See
The Lancet Reports That Thousands Are Killed In Accidents Caused By Tranquilizers
and
Australian Study Of 2,500 Injured Drivers Showed Those Who Used Marijuana
Less Likely To Have Caused Accident Than Even Drug-Free Drivers
– But How Do The Swedish Prohibitionists Report It? and links

("Prevalence of Drugs and Alcohol in Fatally Injured Truck Drivers," Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 38, No. 6, November 1993; "Testing Reckless Drivers for Cocaine and Marijuana," New England Journal of Medicine, Aug. 25, 1991).

Breathalyzer tests, while simple and reliable, cannot test for the presence of drugs of abuse in a person’s system. Testing blood for the presence of illegal drugs requires an invasive blood or urine collection procedure and exposes technicians to health risks from contact with contaminated substances.

"People are driving under the influence of a lot more than alcohol these days, and police officers can’t easily tell if someone’s using rock cocaine, PCP or other illicit drugs without time-consuming and invasive blood or urine tests," said Fred Reno, 58, a retired detective lieutenant and former narcotics officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, adding, "A device that could test instantaneously for drugs and alcohol will make breathalyzers obsolete."

Saliva testing currently exists as an option only for alcohol tests. The only way to currently test for drug-related driving (impairments) is with a blood test. Urine testing, while useful in determining whether a person has used drugs as recently as two days prior to the date of the test, cannot reveal whether a person is currently under the influence of drugs.

With an innovative, new device designed to make testing for drugs as easy and noninvasive as a breathalyzer for alcohol, saliva testing can now uncover drugs of abuse. The new technology is being incorporated into a hand-held device by LifePoint Inc. (OTC BB:LFPT), a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based company. The company’s first product application will offer simple, reliable saliva testing for drugs of abuse and alcohol.

This noninvasive option will allow police departments to reduce the time and risk involved in current testing methods, while maintaining accuracy. Another advantage will be the device’s ability to simultaneously test for drugs and alcohol in less than five minutes. The company hopes to complete testing and have the product available for use in the 1999-2000 holiday period.

This new technology is easily adaptable to a wide variety of settings, with potential applications ranging from screening for heart disease and cancer, to drug monitoring in nonmedical settings, to use by law enforcement.

The LifePoint device will supply the user with a painless testing alternative that is speedy and reliable at the same time—welcome news for medical and law enforcement personnel and for everyone who would prefer to avoid needles whenever possible. LifePoint recently appointed Burrill & Co. to help the company find corporate partners to take this technology to a wide variety of diagnostic applications.

For more information on LifePoint, visit www.lifepointinc.com or call 909/466-8047, ext. 222.

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of LifePoint Inc. that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, but are not limited to, the early stage of product development; the need for additional funding; the initiation and completion of clinical trials; and dependence on third parties for clinical testing and marketing. These risks are described in further detail in the company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Professional Biography

Fred B. Reno retired as a police lieutenant from the Los Angeles Police Department in January 1993, with 29 years of diversified management and investigative experience. He was directly responsible for investigations ranging from vice, narcotics and homicides to computer crimes, political corruption and major financial investigations.

He has 12 years of investigative hypnosis experience as a trained investigative hypnotist. Reno is currently a member of the board of directors of the International Society for Investigative and Forensic Hypnosis. He is an assistant professor, Administration of Justice, at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Calif., specializing in investigative and management courses.

Reno graduated from the University of Southern California in 1979 with a masters degree in public administration. He is also a member of various criminal justice and academic organizations and societies.