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Illegal Drug Testing
Illegal drug testing is used to determine if an individual is using drugs. These tests can be done by private individuals as well as employers to find out if future or present employees are using illegal drugs. What is being tested varies based on who is doing the testing, the company used to determine the test, expense, expectations, federal requirements, and so on.
The government has guidelines regarding illegal drug testing. These were created by NIDA-The National Institute on Drug Abuse and SAMHSA-the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They mandate that companies who utilize commercial class driver’s licenses for their employees must have a drug testing system. This test is required to test for five specific groups of drugs. Due to these standard requirements many illegal drug testing companies check for these five common categories. The five most common drug groups that are tested for are cannabinoids (marijuana, hash), cocaine (cocaine, crack, benzoylecognine), amphetamines (amphetamines, methamphetamine, speed), opiates (heroin, opium, codeine, morphine), and phencyclidine (PCP).
The five most common ways of illegal drug testing an individual include: urine, blood, hair, saliva, and sweat. Testing the individual’s urine is the most frequent method of drug testing because it is less expensive and intrusive than taking blood.
Illegal Drug Testing: Urine
- It is the least expensive method ranging from $7-$50 for a home test.
- It can be done at an individual’s home (parents testing children). However lab verification is for accurate results.
- This method can usually detect drug use within the past week.
- This method can give inaccurate results if the individual abstains for a period of time before the test.
- Often times the samples are temperature tested to insure the sample’s integrity.
Illegal Drug Testing: Saliva
- It is somewhat more expensive than urine testing ($15-$75).
- It is considered one of the most unobtrusive methods of testing.
- This method is easy to administer but does require a lab to process the results.
- It can detect drug use primarily within the last few days.
- This method is more reliable for the detection of meth and opiates but is considered less reliable for detecting marijuana.
Illegal Drug Testing: Hair
- As of today, this method is much more expensive than urine tests ($100-$150).
- All things considered, it is thought to be an unobtrusive method of testing.
- This method has the ability to detect drug use of a longer period of time.
- This method does not usually detect drug use within the past week.
- This method requires sample of hair about the diameter of a pencil and 1.5 inches long. This testing method cannot be done with a single hair.
- This method often tests positive more often than the urine method.
- This particular method can even tell when a person started using and if and when they stopped using.
Illegal Drug Testing: Blood
- This is the most expensive type of testing.
- This method is also considered the most intrusive method of all the testing methods.
- Blood testing is considered to be the most accurate method of testing for drugs.
- It is one of the least common methods of testing.
Illegal Drug Testing: Sweat
- This is a very intrusive method of testing because the individual must wear a patch for an extended period of time.
- This method is still uncommon when it comes to testing for drugs.
- This method is a controversial method of drug testing.