Monday, December 3, 2012

Drug Testing Information

http://www.ezklean.com/drug-testing-information.htm

 

The most current or up to date article on Drug Testing information 09-22-06

A drug test is a process using some kind of biological matter taken from an individual to determine previous drug use. It's a matter of much controversy; many have argued that it is an invasion of privacy, and the accuracy and effectiveness of some tests are also in question.

General information

Drug "tests" can be divided into two general groups. The first group is the kind most people are familiar with. This type of testing involves the donor giving a sample of some bodily fluid or hair to an employer, doctor, law enforcement official, or a medical testing center. This is normally a sample of urine, blood, hair, or saliva/ oral fluid. After collection from the donor, the sample is sealed with a tamper-evident seal and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The primary advantages of this type of test are accuracy, legal defensibility, and the ability to customize tests for a particular demographic group. The disadvantages are typically costs associated with the need for collection sites (urine, blood), and the delay in receiving results (up to 4 days.)

The second type of drug test is an on-site (workplace, school, washroom, or at-home) drug screen that does not require a laboratory. These provide the advantages of lower cost and the availability of results within minutes. Furthermore, if on-site screens, such as oral fluid-based or saliva tests are used, the problem of "beating the tests" (otherwise known as sample adulteration or substitution) can be virtually eliminated. On-site screens provide qualitative results, and when supplemented with laboratory-based confirmation tests, can be defended in a court of law.

This article will focus primarily on the first type of test, but will refer to the latter when appropriate.

The NIDA 5

Drug testing in the United States basically began in the late 1980's with the testing of certain federal employees and specified DOT regulated occupations. Drug testing guidelines and processes, in these areas exclusively, are established and regulated (by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, formerly under the direction of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA) require that companies who use professional drivers, specified safety sensitive transportation and/or oil and gas related occupations, and certain federal employers, test them for the presence of certain drugs. These test classes were established decades ago, and include five specific drug groups. They do not account for current drug usage patterns. For example, the tests do not include "synthetic opiates", such as oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, etc., compounds that are highly abused in America:

  1. Cannabinoids (marijuana, hashish)
  2. Cocaine (cocaine, crack, benzoylecognine)
  3. Amphetamines (amphetamines, methamphetamine, speed)
  4. Opiates (heroin, opium, codeine, morphine)
  5. Phencyclidine (PCP)

While SAMHSA/NIDA guidelines only allow labs to report quantitative results for the "NIDA-5" on their official NIDA tests, many drug testing labs and on-site tests also offer a wider or "more appropriate" set of drug screens which are more reflective of current drug abuse patterns. As noted above, these tests include synthetic pain killers such as Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Restoril) and barbiturates in other drug panels (a "panel" is a predetermined list of tests to run). The confirmation test (usually GCMS) can tell the difference between methamphetamine and ecstasy, and in the absence of detectable amounts of methamphetamine in the sample, the lab will either report the sample as negative or report it as positive for MDMA. What the lab reports to the client depends upon whether MDMA was included in the panel as something to be tested for.

Gamma-hydroxy-butyrate (GHB) was not routinely tested for in the early 1990s, but due to increasing use, some labs have added it as an optional test. GHB is rare in pre-employment screening, but is commonly checked for in suspected cases of drug overdose, date rape, and post-mortem toxicology tests. Ketamine (Special K) may or may not be tested for, depending upon the preferences of the entity paying for the test, though testing for it is uncommon. In general, the greater the number of drugs tested for, the higher the price of the test, so many employers stick to the NIDA 5 for financial reasons.

Other drugs, such as meperidine (Demerol), fentanyl, propoxyphene, and methadone are not commonly tested for in most pre-employment situations. These drugs are more likely to be included in tests for certain demographic groups (such as healthcare workers, drug rehab patients, etc.)

Hallucinogens other than cannabis and PCP, such as mushrooms (psilocybin), LSD, and peyote (mescaline) are rarely tested for.

Detection periods

The following chart gives approximate detection periods for each substance by test type. The ranges depend on amount and frequency of use, metabolic rate, body mass, age, overall health, and urine pH. For ease of use, the detection times of metabolites have been incorporated into each parent drug. For example, heroin and cocaine can only be detected for a few hours after use, but their metabolites can be detected for several days in urine. In this type of situation, we will report the (longer) detection times of the metabolites.

  • NOTE 1: Oral fluid or saliva testing results for the most part mimic that of blood. The only exception is THC. Oral fluid will likely detect THC from ingestion up to a maximum period of 18-24 hours.
  • NOTE 2: Urine can not detect current drug use. It takes approximately 6-8 hrs. post-consumption for drug to be metabolized and excreted in urine. Similarly, hair requires two weeks, and sweat, seven days.

SUBSTANCE
URINE
HAIR
BLOOD

Alcohol
3-5 days via Ethyl Gluconoride(EtG) metabolite
12 hours

Amphetamines (except meth)
2 to 3 days
up to 90 days
12 hours

Methamphetamine
2 to 5 days
up to 90 days
24 hours

Barbiturates (except phenobarbital)
2 to 3 days
up to 90 days
1 to 2 days

Phenobarbital
7 to 14 days
up to 90 days
4 to 7 days

Benzodiazepines
1 to 5 days
up to 90 days
6 to 48 hours

Cannabis
3-5 days(1 to 3 days if the use is single, and up to 30 days in limited instances)
up to 90 days
2 days

Cocaine
1 to 3 days
up to 90 days
24 hours

Codeine
2 to 3 days
up to 90 days
12 hours

Cotinine (a break-down product of nicotine)
2 to 4 days
up to 90 days
2 to 4 days

Morphine
2 to 3 days
up to 90 days
6 hours

Heroin
2 to 3 days
up to 90 days
6 hours

LSD
2 to 24 hours
unknown
0 to 3 hours

PCP
5 to 7 days
up to 90 days
24 hours

Common types of drug tests

Home

Urine drug screen

Also known as urinalysis, this procedure requires that one provide a sample of urine. Either a test card is used on site for immediate results (see "General" section), or the sample is sent away to a lab to undergo gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (also known as GCMS), high performance liquid chromatography or immunoassay analysis. Sample substitution or adulteration have become a significant issue in the United States due to the prevalence of synthetic and/or drug-free urine and a wide range of adulterants on the internet. Some people attempt to defeat a urine test by drinking copious amounts of water, however, a sufficiently diluted sample may be rejected due to its clear color. Samples that are too clear may be flagged and tested for specific gravity. If the sample fails the specific gravity test, the sample is rejected and the dilution is reported to the entity that ordered the test. Some diuretics and herbal extracts, such as goldenseal, are marketed as a quick "detox" from controlled substances, but their efficancy is questionable. Some types of urinalysis can even detect the use of these "detox" products. One of the methods to test for adulterants is to add some amount of an actual drug to a small portion of the sample and then retest that portion. If a masking agent is present in the urine, the resulting drug test will have a negative result despite the fact that a drug was added. This situation is also usually reported to whomever ordered the test.

Hair drug screen

Hair follicle testing is quite accurate and can go back 6 months or longer, showing any controlled substances used in a sort of timeline. As hair grows out, any drugs used are encased in the hair shaft, so the longer the hair, the longer back in the individual's drug history the lab can detect. Most legitimate testing facilities, however, only use hair within about 3-5 cm of the scalp, and discard the rest. This limits the detection history to about 90 days, depending upon the rate of growth of the individual's hair. Some people attempt to circumvent this through shaving their heads. In the absence of the required amount of hair on the scalp, body hair can be used as an acceptable substitute. Additionally, for pre-employment hair testing, the inability to obtain a sample may be grounds for not hiring the individual.

Saliva drug screen / Oral fluid-based drug screen

Saliva / oral fluid-based drug tests can generally detect use during the previous few days. Saliva or oral fluid based drug tests are becoming more prevalent because of their convenience and the fact that they can not be adulterated. Furthermore, on-site oral based tests in particular enable the implementation of random testing programs, proven to be the most effective type of drug screening. Oral fluid based tests are as accurate as urine and can be obtained from quality suppliers in the United States. Testing is usually performed by employers, for either pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, or return-to-duty testing. Oral fluid based testing most closely mimics results found with blood and is preferable for detecting on-the-job drug use or in post-accident applications in this case because the degree of intoxication can be approximated based on the amount of substance in the blood. The Victorian Police in Australia are also using random saliva-tests to detect drivers under the influence of amphetamines and cannabis. South Australian police were also given the power to drug-test drivers from 2006.

Detection in saliva tests begins immediately upon use:

  • Marijuana and Hashish (THC): 1 hour after ingestion, for up to 14 hours
  • Cocaine (including crack): From time of ingestion for 48 to 72 hours
  • Opiates: From time of ingestion for 48 to 72 hours
  • Methamphetamine and Ecstasy (MDMA, "Crank," "Ice"): From time of ingestion for 48 to 72 hours
  • BZD: From time of ingestion for 48 to 72 hours

Sweat drug screen

Sweat tests are patches attached to the skin to collect sweat over a long period of time (10-14 days). These are almost exclusively used by child protective services, parole departments, and other government institutions concerned with drug use over long periods, when urine testing is not practical. The patches have security features that keep them from being covertly removed and then reapplied without the knowledge of the testing agency. At the end of the test period, the patch is removed by a social worker or parole officer and sent to a lab for analysis. If the person has used any drugs during the period that the patch was in place, they will test positive for that drug. This type of testing has fallen out of favor with government agencies due to documented problems with certain drugs[citation needed] .

Drug testing methodologies

Once the sample arrives at the lab for analysis, the different types of drug tests are tested in very similar ways. Before testing the sample, the tamper-evident seal is checked for integrity. If it appears to have been tampered with or was damaged in transit, the lab rejects the sample and does not test it.

One of the first steps for all drug tests is to make the sample testable. Urine and oral fluid can be used "as is" for some tests, but other tests require the drugs to be extracted from urine beforehand. Strands of hair, patches, and blood must be prepared before testing. Hair is washed in order to eliminate second-hand sources of drugs on the surface of the hair, then the keratin is broken down using enzymes. Blood plasma may need to be separated by centrifuge from blood cells prior to testing. Sweat patches are opened up and the sweat collection component is soaked in a solvent to dissolve any drugs present.

Laboratory-based drug testing is done in a two-tiered fashion using two different types of detection methods. The first is known as the screening test, and this is applied to all samples that go through the lab. The second, known as the confirmation test, is only applied to samples that test positive during the screening test. Screening tests are usually done by immunoassay (EMIT for urine and blood, and ELISA for hair). The screening tests are typically less sensitive and more prone to false positives and false negatives than the confirmation test. Once a suspected positive sample is detected during screening, the sample is flagged and tested using the confirmation test. Samples that are negative on the screening test are discarded and reported as negative. The confirmation test in most labs (and all SAMHSA certified labs) is performed using mass spectrometry, and is extremely precise but also fairly expensive to run. False positive samples from the screening test will be negative on the confirmation test. Samples testing positive during both screening and confirmation tests are reported as positive to the entity that ordered the test. Most labs save positive samples for some period of months or years in the event of a disputed result or lawsuit.

Types of testing

Pre-employment drug testing

This is by far the most common type of drug test used by businesses. It has the advantage of being inexpensive, since only one test per employee needs to be paid for by the company. Furthermore, since most pre-employment drug testing is urine-based and subject to sample adulteration or substitution, the effectiveness of this approach has been questioned by federal legislators.

Random drug testing

This is the most controversial type of drug testing regimen. Some also note that it is also the most effective method to deter drug use [citation needed]. It is usually used by corporations, drug rehab centers, prisons, and more recently, schools. This method may also be used on teens by their parents, or mandated to be performed on teens at school. The point of a random drug test is deterrence, as the threat of detection is much higher vs. other testing methods[citation needed]. Companies use various ways of determining who gets tested, ranging from drawing names out of a hat, to using more defensible methods such as robust random number generators. The goal of this test is to discourage drug use among employees, inmates, or students by not telling anyone who or when they are to be tested in advance. However, critics claim that random testing introduces a presumption of guilt, and is a violation of privacy if the user is not actually intoxicated during working hours. In addition, random testing is more likely to catch cannabis users, since THC metabolites have a longer duration in the body than those of more harmful and addictive drugs.

Post-incident drug testing

This is not a very commonly administered test compared to the other two, but the financial ramifications of not testing employees after an accident (or other incident) on the job makes this test worthwhile for most businesses. The point of this test isn't necessarily to cause the employee to lose his or her job, but rather to protect the company from liability in the event that the individual is under the influence at the time of the accident. If drugs or alcohol are detected in any major quantity, the argument can be made in court that the individual was intoxicated on the job, and for that reason, the company should not be held liable for injuries sustained by the employee. This argument, however, can only reasonably be made if blood or oral fluid / saliva testing is used. Urine, hair, or sweat based testing can only detect past drug use. Depending upon the facts of each case, this may help a company avoid litigation completely or may do nothing to help their case. DUI testing would also fall into this category. Another time this type of test may be used is if an employee shows up for work intoxicated, has alcohol on his or her breath, or appears to be impaired in some other way. The goal of these tests is to protect the entity from litigation, so they are only given on an as needed basis.

Legality and Ethics of Mandatory Drugs Testing

United Kingdom

The legal position of drug tests on the UK is not clear. A recent study by the independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work found that attempts by employers to force could be challenged as a violation of privacy under the Human Rights Act 1998 and Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. However, this may not extend to industries where drug testing is a matter of safety rather than productivity.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can cps detective alcohol in a hair test

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

Alcohol and Hair Follicle Drug Testing
By triplesit
Pin It
Whenever people hear the term “hair follicle drug testing,” they automatically think of things like cannabis, heroine, crack cocaine, or cocaine. They may even think about performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids, but they very seldom think about the legal drug that is accepted by most of polite society. Alcohol usage can show up when the person has hair follicle drug testing just as the usage of cocaine does. Of course, for the presence of alcohol evidence to be left behind, the person needs to have been consuming more than one cocktail a day. If they sip one cocktail or a small glass of wine the trace evidence will be so small as to be overlooked by officials because it will show the person is not a heavy drinker.

For people who have been ordered to stay away from alcohol as part of a judge’s conditions to keep them out of trouble, then hair follicle drug testing is a means for the officials to test and prove beyond a doubt that the person has been consuming large amounts of alcohol and this, frequently. The difference between hair follicle and UA drug testing is that the urinalysis is not going to show that the person has been drinking heavily every day for a period of time. If the person is aware of the timing of the test, they will simply abstain from drinking any alcohol until they have had the test. This way, their urine will show that they are clean and free of alcohol.

The difference between hair follicle and UA drug testing is that the urinalysis is more limited in the amount of time that the evidence will be indicated, especially when alcohol is the drug they are testing for. Some people assume that they will avoid the hair follicle analysis by shaving their heads, but they do not take into consideration that this substance actually grows all over their body. They have eyebrows, eyelashes, facial hair, under arm hair, hair on their legs, and even on their private parts.

Drug testing is now done by the majority of employers before they hire an employee and sometimes they randomly check their employees. Schools even test students for the presence of illegal substances and almost all sporting teams and athletic clubs test their members. Some states have even passed laws giving them the right to test for the presence of drugs in the systems of anyone applying for welfare.

http://triplesit.hubpages.com/hub/Alcohol-and-Hair-Follicle-Drug-Testing

Unknown said...

Can they make me take a hair folic a test after I have passed a mouth swab

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

Unfortunately Mr. Johnson, they can make you take a hair Hair follicle test even after you have passed the mouth swab drug test. The reason they do hair follicle tests is because it goes back 3 to 6 months.

Anonymous said...

Ok i have to take quartely hair folicale test. I havent used meth in ten months but my girlfriend uses almost daily by us having sex will i test positive? Please let me know. Thanks

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

I believe it's pretty safe to say that you will not drop dirty from methamphetamine if you are not using. Just because you and your girlfriend have intercourse and she uses daily will not affect your drug testing at all. Congratulations on being clean for 10 months from methamphetamines. It is very hard habit to quit.

Unknown said...

My CPS worker said I failed my drug test. That can't be the truth. She said it was positive for amphetamines. That can't be true. She said she is sending my urine for a comermation test. What is that? She also said that the confirmation test will tell her what and y I failed the test. What does that mean?

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

If you know for a fact that you are clean and your Cps workers says you have a dirty drop demand to see the actual test and demand a reconfirmation ttest. If you have been clean demand a hair follicle test as well.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

if my boyfriend was on kolonapin and we had intercourse would that show up in my urin drug test

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

I beliiee it is pretty safe to say that you can not drop dirty because of something your boyfriend has taken.

Unknown said...

The information you have shared with us is really so great, nice effort!! I add one website in which you could get more info about drug rehab centers in houston

Steve said...

I took 1 ml of alcohol at 9:30 in the morning and had to take a drug test at an inpatient rehab facility at 11:30 pm I am wondering if it will show as a positive test? They use a drug testing machine that spins the urine.

Anonymous said...

Okay my cps caseworker said my hair follicle drug test keep going down now on September 30,2015 I took a hair follicle drug test and they said that I was reading 683 for cocaine and I took another hair follicle drug test on October 28,2015 and they say I've only gone down to 608 so today I went and paid for my own hair follicle drug test to be done on me now what I'm wondering how in the world can I still be testing positive for cocaine since I haven't used since November 2014 and they said my levels back then was 2000 units then they also did another hair follicle drug test about May 2015 saying that it was 8000 units but they haven't showed me not one report they are only telling me any ideas what I can do

Anonymous said...

Okay my cps caseworker said my hair follicle drug test keep going down now on September 30,2015 I took a hair follicle drug test and they said that I was reading 683 for cocaine and I took another hair follicle drug test on October 28,2015 and they say I've only gone down to 608 so today I went and paid for my own hair follicle drug test to be done on me now what I'm wondering how in the world can I still be testing positive for cocaine since I haven't used since November 2014 and they said my levels back then was 2000 units then they also did another hair follicle drug test about May 2015 saying that it was 8000 units but they haven't showed me not one report they are only telling me any ideas what I can do

Anonymous said...

Okay my cps caseworker said my hair follicle drug test keep going down now on September 30,2015 I took a hair follicle drug test and they said that I was reading 683 for cocaine and I took another hair follicle drug test on October 28,2015 and they say I've only gone down to 608 so today I went and paid for my own hair follicle drug test to be done on me now what I'm wondering how in the world can I still be testing positive for cocaine since I haven't used since November 2014 and they said my levels back then was 2000 units then they also did another hair follicle drug test about May 2015 saying that it was 8000 units but they haven't showed me not one report they are only telling me any ideas what I can do and I haven't used any cocaine since November 2014

Anonymous said...

Does cps test for subutex

Anonymous said...

If I have been using meth and stopped 3 days prior to taking a unknown test at a lab requested through cps and I take a hair folicle ...how does the results return to the worker and is there a way to fight it if it came positive? Needing of your help?????

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

If you indeed dropped dirty on s urine test and or hair follicle test what you have done was just self incriminated yourself. The only thing you can do now is to decide if you want to get clean and stay clean and fight for your kids, or do you want to continue to use. If you chose to get clean and stay clean then and want your family to be a family again you need to realize that you cannot touch any illegal drugs until that child is 18. You can not use and be a parent. Make your chose the wisely best wishes.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

Also all that's left to do is your case plan. Do all Cps tells you to do.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

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Houston, Tx
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Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

If I am not mistaken that is a pain killer. I believe they test for everything.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

I can only assume it will. In very low levels.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

Cps uses aa 6 panal to test for marijuana, cocaine, opiods, amphetamines, and phencyclines (pcp), barbiturates, and benzodiazrpines and alcohol.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

Cps uses aa 6 panal to test for marijuana, cocaine, opiods, amphetamines, and phencyclines (pcp), barbiturates, and benzodiazrpines and alcohol.

Anonymous said...

If i go for a pre employment drug test and i drop dirty for marijuana will the work company turn me into cps? (It's a nurse aide job) thank you for your help

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

If your work place doesn't know you are involved with CPS then I doubt it. If they do, they very well may.

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Unknown said...

What kind of pannel does CPS use for a hair follicle

Unknown said...

Does CPS test for Suboxone? I keep getting mixed information...

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

More than likely they do.

Jessica Lynn Hepner said...

More than likely they do.

Irish81 said...

I am required to do a hair folicle test for CPS. How far back will they go. She said I must pass 2 then we will switch to ua. Also what is presumptive positive?

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