A Suffolk County sheriff is using money seized from drug dealers to buy drug testing kits that he will distribute free to parents.

Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco says he is providing the free drug test kits to assist parents and guardians with monitoring the behavior of their children.

The kits cost about $1 and test for six different drugs, from marijuana to opiates to cocaine. He says 16,000 will eventually be distributed.

DeMarco says the test kits give parents a tool to engage in conversations with their children about drug use.

The kits are available at the Suffolk County jail, and plans are in the works to also distribute them at schools and at the offices of local elected officials.

With Associated Press