Frequently Asked Questions
Drug testing is technical checkup of hair, blood, urine as well as other biological samples with an idea to determine the presence of illegal and legal drugs in an individual’s system. The most common reasons for drug testing are:
Pre-employment Drug Screening
- This particular type of test is conducted by an employer to check the presence of controlled substances before the hiring agreement. It is legally allowed for employers to see whether a potential employee has a history of drug abuse and to decline the application in case of a positive test.
Work-Related Drug Test
- On the other hand, if you are already an employee, your employer has to follow specific privacy regulations and guidelines so that he/she can conduct a random or situation-based drug test. The idea is to identify the current intoxication or perform a screening after a specific situation such as an accident that caused problems to other workers so that employer could avoid liability issues that come with personal injury. You should check out Weed News official website to learn how to cleanse your hair from weed and THC.
Athletic Drug Testing
- When it comes to testing due to sports, you should have in mind that these tests are checking for performance-enhancing drugs that are forbidden to consume among professional athletes.
Why Do Employers Conduct Drug Testing?
The most common reason for conducting a drug test is due to the employment process, especially if you wish to work in areas such as federal transportation, hospitals, railways, airline industry and other workplaces in which you can affect public safety.
On the other hand, workplace drug testing is standard among most industries nowadays because employers wish to reduce issues that are coming with drug abuse such as safety concerns and low levels of productivity.
One of the biggest problems that are affecting the USA in the last few years is prescription drug abuse.
According to statistics and reports by NIDA, drug abuse costs economy for more than $800 billion on an annual basis, and these costs are related to lost work productivity, crime, and health care.
The idea between pre-employment drug tests is limited to drugs that are commonly abused among employees such as alcohol and prescription medications, but also illegal, performance-enhancing, and psychoactive substances.
The most common screening method is urinalysis in which applicant has to provide an appropriate urine sample, but in some cases, they have to require sweat, saliva, blood, and hair based on the type of screening.
For some specific jobs that are related to high levels of security, employees have to undergo random drug tests, which are legal. These screenings can happen in case of an accident, and when there is a suspicion that a particular employee is misusing illegal substances.
What Types Of Lab Tests Are Used For Checking Out The Drug Content?
It is vital to make sure that you choose the certified laboratory that will help you reduce mistakes and inaccuracies. Have in mind that most programs involve a two-step process, which is there to determine the drug content and to find out whether everything is okay.
The first test used includes immunoassay, and the last one confirms the result. Both methods are commonly used among most drug tests that exist on the market. Only with the combination of these methods, you can reduce the possibilities of false positives that may happen.
You should have in mind that immunoassay is the first step that administrators are using to check whether you consumed something or not. In case that this particular test is negative, they do not have to use the second method for testing.
On the other hand, if the test is positive, the confirmatory analysis is used to identify drug substances as well as metabolites and the amount of them inside the specimen you gave. This is the best way to confirm positive results on the test.
What Should You Expect During Workplace Drug Testing?
In the case of pre-employment screening, you have to receive notification that will explain to you where you have to go to provide a specimen so that you can enter another round of negotiation.
Therefore, they should give you specific period as well as the name of laboratory, and in most cases, they will ask you to conduct screening in the next 48 hours so that you can reduce chances of tampering with the testing.
At the same time, you have to go to a specific laboratory so that you can submit a biological specimen, or do it inside, and in most cases, these tests are urinalysis.
As soon as you enter the facility, you should submit the sample by checking out the discretion policy and maintaining privacy.
They can also conduct blood, saliva, and hair follicle drug tests for hiring screenings, but that is not the standard practice because they are expensive or unreliable.
Have in mind that during the evaluation, they have to follow strict practices as well as standards with an idea to prevent adulteration of the sample and the test.
You have to give documentation as well as other personal information, and some laboratory procedures involve making specimens under supervision. By checking here, you will be able to learn more on urinalysis.
How Long Do Drugs Remain In Your Body?
It is challenging to answer this particular question because it depends on numerous factors along the way. Since these variables may affect the time of drug that you find in the urine or other places, you should have in mind that drug’s half-life is the first one you have to consider.
At the same time, other factors such as your fluid balance and state of hydration will play leading role. Remember that frequency, as well as quantity of usage, is another important consideration, especially if you consume weed, which requires plenty of time to get out of the system.
You can consider general guidelines, but everything depends on your body constitution, mass, workout frequency, as well as health habits that you prefer on a daily basis.
