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Military Drug Testing

UsaDrugTest — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:14:50 +0000

Drug testing in the armed forces in all types of the wings (Army, Navy and Airforce) is a must for each and every personal as the military has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drug use. The military services conduct several types of no-notice urinalysis drug testing. Positive results on most of these tests can be used for court-martial and discharge procedures.

Department of Defense, which is more popular as DoD is attacking the problem on the two fronts of supply and demand. Education and deterrence are the key aspects of reducing demand for illegal drugs in the defense forces.

Military Drug Tests:

To combat the rising health concern of drug abuse in the defense forces, DoD uses more sensitive tests to detect ecstasy during routine urine testing. Active duty service members must undergo a urine drug test annually. Reserve component members must be tested at least every two years. DoD labs test more than 60,000 urine samples each month, but it would be next to impossible for a mistaken positive result to affect a service member’s career.

The Drug Testing Procedure:

There are several protections built-in to the system to ensure accurate results. There is always a written record of who those individuals who access the sample. People who come in contact with each sample and what exactly they do to the sample are written on the document.

After arrival at the lab, samples undergo an initial immunoassay screening (using the Olympus AU-800 Automated Chemistry Analyzer). Those that test positive for the presence of drugs at this point undergo the same screen once again. Finally, those that come up positive during the second screening test are put through a much more specific gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test. This test can identify specific substances within the urine samples.

Even if a particular drug is detected, if the level is below a certain threshold, the test result is reported back to the commander as negative. DoD labs are equipped to test for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, LSD, opiates (including morphine and heroin), barbiturates and PCP. But not all samples are tested for all of these drugs. Every sample gets tested for marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines, including ecstasy.

Tests for other drugs are done at random on different schedules for each lab. Some laboratories do test every sample for every drug. Commanders can request samples be tested for steroids. In this case, the samples are sent to the Olympic testing laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Comparison Of Urine And Saliva Drug Tests

UsaDrugTest — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:50:11 +0000

The major difference between different types of drug tests is the collection of specimen. But the advantages and disadvantages of these distinct drug tests vary in terms of many issues like invasiveness in specimen collection, risk of tampering the specimen, cost of drug test, time taken to produce results, accuracy of the results, etc. Of all the drug tests, Urine and Saliva drug tests are very common because of their efficiency to provide accurate results.

Features of urine and saliva drug testing

Both the urine drug testing and the saliva drug testing have their own advantages as well as some disadvantages.

Collection of specimen:

The major advantage of saliva drug testing over urine drug testing is its least invasiveness of privacy while collecting specimen. This has been a controversy since a long time in all the places of drug testing. The process of collecting saliva for a drug test is obviously less invasive compared to the case of urine drug test.

Chances of adulteration:

The chances of adulteration in saliva drug test are very less, compared to urine drug test. In case of saliva drug test, it is feasible to collect the specimen under legible supervision. Thus, minimizing the chances of tampering the specimen. This is not possible in case of urine drug testing. However, saliva drug test is not completely free from adulteration.

Detection period of drug abuse:

The detection period of drug abuse through saliva drug test is shorter, compared to urine drug test. The detection period in case of saliva drug test is around 20 hours to 1 day approximately, whereas it is around 3 days in case of urine drug test.

Accuracy of results:

The accuracy rate of both, urine and saliva drug tests are deemed by the United States court system. However, the accuracy rate of urine drug test results is much higher than that of saliva drug test results, the risk of false negatives is high in both the drug tests.

Cost of drug test

Cost-effectiveness is the major advantage of urine drug tests compared to any type of drug tests. The cost of saliva drug test is a little higher, compared to urine drug test. However, the cost of saliva drug testing complies with the quality of the drug test.

As both saliva drug test and urine drug test, have their own advantages and disadvantages it is not feasible to use any one of them in all the situations. Based on the comparison of features mentioned above, it will be easier to analyze and choose a drug test according to the situation.

Drug Testing at Home

UsaDrugTest — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:23:52 +0000

Drug Testing is usually planned to check for substances that could either provide an unfair advantage over those who do not use them or contribute to problems in the individual’s life, including impaired performance. Some people would like to remain anonymous, so they were hesitant to go for drug tests to any laboratory or consultant. They use some home drug testing kits. Drug testing at home makes it personal and private. Home Drug Testing is helpful for those who hesitate to take these drug tests explicitly and also for parents to identify drug abuse in their children.

Advantages:

The benefits of in home testing are:

· Timely- Instant testing and confirmation eliminates delays up to 3 to 4 days in waiting for laboratory results.

· Cost Effective – Small fraction of full laboratory testing fee. Initial qualitative screening results for positive drug or drug metabolite confirmations provided for in cost effective manner.

· Rapid Confirmation- Decreased stress caused by waiting for results.

· Ease of Use – Simple test procedure using subject’s urine. Compact self-contained test, no peripherals and special equipment or training necessary.

· Accuracy up to 99%- Built in quality controls and variances provide the most accurate results for a one-step test possible. Minimizes false positives through user error.

· Visual Display- Easy to read results eliminate misreading or need for examiner interpretation.

Applications :

· Random Drug Screening of Employees.

· Pre-employment screening.

· Job Applicants making sure to “Test clean”.

· Halfway House and Drug Recovery Programs.

· School and Business “Drug Free” Programs.

· School Athletic Programs.

· Zero Tolerance Home Testing Programs.

· Vehicle and Equipment operation.

· Insurance Exams.

· Routine Medical Exams and Patient Programs.

· Law Enforcement.

Saliva drug test, hair drug test urine drug test and sweat drug test- each type of drug test has unique advantages. A saliva drug test offers the advantage of a convenient collection procedure that can be directly observed by test administrator. A hair drug test extends the window of detection to three months, giving the longest look-back period of any other drug test method. A drug test that uses urine offers the advantage of solid scientific support for the test method. And because of the short window of detection for marijuana in a saliva drug test kit, positive saliva drug test results for marijuana indicate current intoxication from that drug. The sweat patch drug test system makes it very difficult for clients to substitute or adulterate the test, and offers continuous monitoring of drug use for the one week that the client typically wears the patch.

Why Drug Testing?

UsaDrugTest — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:46:16 +0000

Marijuana, Cannabis, Ganja, Grass, Mary Jane, Pot, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, etc. whatever you call it, is considered illegal by the state Government due to its addictive nature that has its ill effects on the workplace and the pleasure to remain high as described by the Marijuana consumer is engulfing slowly and gradually many people in its smoke. There are different ways like joint, blunt, bong or pipe that people would like to take Marijuana. The chemical THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) present in the weed causes pleasurable sensations as described by those who take marijuana. A person consuming Marijuana could be detected from the symptoms like odor on breath and clothing, sleepiness, loud talking, laughing unnecessarily, irritated eyes, carrying drug stuff, unclear sense of time intervals and forgetfulness. As long as you have control on your nerve there is no problem with smoking habits but as soon as these habits takes a turn towards addiction then it becomes a great problem for you as well as for the others around you.

Unfortunately it is sad to say that despite of carrying several medicinal values Marijuana is yet to be legalized due to its addictive nature. Several researches back up that the medicinal values of Marijuana can bring a great renovation in the field of medicine. There are several blogs, forums where people share their real life experiences that reflects on the medicinal values of Marijuana and the consumption of which can cure several deadly diseases but the Government is reluctant to legalize it because only because of its addictive nature on the consumer that leads to different losses in different form.

Losses associated with Marijuana or drugs listed especially in the workplace are the decreased productivity, workers compensation claims, insurance claims and onsite accidents that are really bothersome for the employers as these directly hits the reputation of the company. And to prevent such headache it has become obligatory to take drug test to remain on the safe side. Drug testing is being conducted all over the world to increase the workforce while off-putting costs that arises due to incompetent and drug impaired employees. Hard core drug abusers may consider drug testing as a Gestapo and for these reason drug dependent individuals are always rummage around for ways to pass drug tests.

Drug testing helps the employer to keep a strict watch on the employees and keep jobsite healthy. Such test ensures that employees are safe, healthy and working to the best of their ability. Different types of drug test kits are available in the market and they are hair drug tests, urine drug tests, and saliva drug tests and spray drug tests all of which have their own pros and cons. Looking at the several benefits coming from drug testing it has not only become a mandatory for some companies but it has become an preliminary obligation also for college admission by the use of sports scholarship or during a physical competition. These easy to use drug testing kits is of great help to the worried families envelop with certain kind of fear of drugs consumption which has become a fashion for the youngster. They also can easily determine whether or not their child is abusing drugs and can take the necessary and judicious actions to help them beat their uncontrollable urge for drugs.

Drug Testing Methods at Work Place

UsaDrugTest — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:30:10 +0000

A drug test is commonly a technical examination to determine the presence or absence of specified drugs or their metabolized traces. According to the Chicago land Chamber of Commerce, “Over 70% of all illicit drug users are employed. Small and medium-sized firms employ 80% of the U.S. workforce where drug testing policies & programs are not in place. Absenteeism, increased health care costs and decreased productivity due to alcohol and other substance abuse cost a company $1,000 per employee per year.” It gives the importance of drug testing at work place.

Primarily there are five methods of drug testing. Those are

. Urine drug testing: Urine drug test is the most common, inexpensive, simple and easy to administer. Urine drug tests are reliable and can be tested individually and at other places.

. Blood drug testing: Blood testing is one of the most accurate drug testing but intrusive and expensive.

. Hair drug testing: When used in right time hair testing gives more accurate results and it is most expensive drug testing.

. Saliva drug testing: Oral drug testing is the simplest form of drug testing, which is increasingly used, as it is the least intrusive test procedure.

. Sweat drug testing: Sweat tests are patches attached to the skin to collect sweat over a long period of time (10–14 days).

Drug testing, and particularly random drug testing is not allowed in every state in the United States. There are certain guidelines mentioned by The Federal Drug-Free Work Place Act of 1988. Following guidelines give the minimum requirements.

. Publish a policy statement prohibiting unlawful use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances in the workplace;

. Notify employees of said prohibition and the penalty for violating it;

. Establish a drug-free awareness program;

. Provide employees engaged in a contract with a copy of the policy statement;

. Notify employees that compliance with the policy statement is a condition of employment;

. Require (in writing in your policy) employees to notify the employer within five

. Days if they are convicted of a criminal drug statute violation occurring in the workplace;

. Make a good-faith effort to maintain a drug-free workplace through these provisions.

In 2004 SAMHSA proposed a new rule that would allow federal agencies to use sweat, saliva and hair in federal drug testing programs that now only test urine. The proposal would also allow selected specimen testing at the time and place it is collected.

Drug testing has an important role in safety-critical and other occupations where the public is entitled to expect the highest standards of safety and probity. In order to make the workforce free from drug use at work places several new methods are in line under the rules proposed by SAMHSA that are unintrusive, inescapable and yield accurate results.

Researches on Saliva Drug Testing

UsaDrugTest — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:19:58 +0000

A huge amount of research has gone into the development of saliva drug testing methods. The methodologies used continue to evolve as a result of all this research resulting in more accurate and reliable tests. Saliva drug testing has its obvious advantages but unfortunately, it is not the final solution and it does have its drawbacks.

The major benefit of saliva drug testing is that unlike urine blood tests, it is much easier to collect the sample for testing and it is much more difficult to give a false sample. In urine drug testing the sample is collected in the privacy of a special booth constructed for the purpose or a toilet. The subject has the chance to provide a sample that is clean without the knowledge of the person in charge of testing. This has been the greatest issue with urine drug testing so far.

But the collection of saliva for saliva drug testing is accomplished easily and in public leaving out no space for the subject in question to pull a trick on the tester. The sample required for saliva drug testing is collected by using a scrub that resembles a toothbrush, the only difference being that at the end where there should be bristles, we find a swab that collects saliva. Saliva is collected by placing this collection mechanism between the lower cheek and gum for about two minutes.

Understandably, the collection method for saliva drug testing is obviously simpler than that for urine testing, or blood testing for that matter. Another great advantage of saliva drug testing is that, with the use of some instant testing kits, the result is availed pretty quickly without the need for a lab. In contrast, a blood test would require sample collection by a health care professional and testing in a lab significantly driving up the costs and the time required.

Saliva drug testing cannot be used as a comprehensive drug test for detecting long term drug use patterns. Most drugs do not leave a residue in the saliva beyond a 20 hour period. Saliva drug testing can be used safely to judge whether the person has consumed drugs within the last 24 hours but it won’t detect if the person has any history of drug abuse at all. A hair drug test would beat saliva drug testing at it any given day going back up to 90 days, but a hair drug test takes a month or so to give results.

Saliva drug testing is rather an excellent way by which to test long haul truck drivers on the spot before a trip to determine whether he has consumed any drugs recently that would impair his ability to drive safely. Saliva drug testing could also be employed in case of accidents on the job or on the road to determine whether drug abuse was a factor that contributed to the mishap. With instant results and easy sample collection, no other tests would compare with a saliva drug test in these conditions.

Saliva drug testing has the capability to detect up to 8 different drugs in the body. It is usually designed to detect 5 to 6 drugs at the same time. The results of saliva drug testing are accurate and completely reliable. So the question arises as to why saliva drug testing is not as popular or widely employed as the urine test or the blood test.

Saliva drug testing will eventually replace all other drug testing methods in all cases where a comprehensive drug abuse history is not required to be evaluated. This quick and easy method is poised to take the market by storm. That is unless the labs manage to bury it in propaganda.

Know About Opiate Drug Testing

UsaDrugTest — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:14:36 +0000

Opiates are one of the most addictive drugs with sedative and analgesic effects, which depress the central nervous system. According to the TEDS report, opiates are the primary substance of abuse and accounted for almost one-fifth (19 percent) of all substance abuse treatment admissions in 2007. Some common opiates are morphine, codeine and heroin, of which heroin is the major illegal drug. According to NSDUH, there were about 114,000 persons aged 12 or older who used heroin for the first time within the past 12 months in 2008.

Opiates is one of the five metabolite groups called SAMHSA-5 that can be tested for workplace drug testing under SAMHSA guidelines. The opiate drug tests detect the presence of codeine, morphine, and 6-acetyl-morphine. The presence of 6-acetyl-morphine shows recent heroin abuse.

Urine drug testing:

Urine test is a common method of detecting opiate and its metabolites in urine specimen. Morphine can be detected in urine for 2 days, codaine for 2 to 3 days and heroin for 3 to 4 days. The cutoff concentration for initial test of opiate metabolites is 2000ng/mL. The confirmatory cut off level for morphine and codeine are 2000ng/mL and 10ng/mL for 6-acetylmorphine.

Hair drug testing:

Many opiates can be detected using hair tests. Hair tests require a sample of hair about 90 to 120 strands. The standard hair screen uses the most recent 1.5 inches of growth for testing. Hair tests detect substance abuse over a long period. Morphine, codeine and heroin can be detected for up to 90 days using hair tests. The initial cutoff level for opiate metabolites is 200 pg/mg and confirmatory cutoff value is also 200 pg/mg.

Saliva drug testing:

Saliva tests are easy to administer and adulteration of the specimen can be avoided. Morphine and heroin can be detected in saliva for 1 to 2 days and codeine for 2 to 3 days. The initial cutoff concentration level for opiate metabolites is 40ng/mL. The confirmatory test cutoff level for Morphine and codeine are 40ng/mL each and 4 ng/mL for 6-acetylmorphine.

Opiate abuse continues be a serious threat to public health. The above information will surely help you to understand different methods of opiate drug testing and choose the better one to detect this harmful drug without much hassle.

Marijuana: the Harmful Impacts and the Testing Methods

UsaDrugTest — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:10:38 +0000

Marijuana is one of the commonly used illegal drugs. Marijuana is made from the plant called Cannabis sativa. There is a chemical called “delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol” or “THC” in the drug. This THC is the chemical that makes the person using the drug to feel high. The consumption of marijuana is usually done through smoking.

Impacts of marijuana: Marijuana has a very negative impact on the human beings. It has its effect on the human beings both physically and mentally.

Effects on brain

· Marijuana is a very powerful drug that initially causes pleasure. Its consumption then affects the brain cells that control the thinking, emotions, mood and the memory. The drug even has its effects on the pituitary gland and thereby regulates hunger, thirst and the release of sexual hormones.

· The drug has its effect on the synapses i.e. the brain connections and there by cause the person to get addicted to the drug.

· Long term use of the drug can even cause the brain to stop producing the chemicals which will be responsible for making the person feel good and then the person gets chemically addicted to the drug.

The types of tests for marijuana: There are different types of tests for detecting consumption of marijuana in the human body. They are

· Hair testing: The detection of marijuana consumption can be done by testing the hair. At the roots of the hair, it shows the symptoms of marijuana consumption. The marijuana can be detected from through the hair test even after fifty to ninety days.

· Blood testing: The blood test is a costly test for detecting the marijuana consumption which could be a long procedure which may last for about four to six days.

· Saliva drug testing: This method is a short-term procedure that can detect the consumption of marijuana that has been used recently. Detection of marijuana can be detected in a person’s saliva 1 hour after ingestion, up to 14 hours.

· Urine drug testing: The detection of the marijuana consumption by testing the urine sample is one of the inexpensive ways of detecting the presence of marijuana in the human body. Marijuana can be detected even after five to six days of consumption through the urine test.

The Common Ways to Pass a Drug Test

UsaDrugTest — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:45:13 +0000

Drug tests are done to find out whether a person has abused illicit drugs or not. Drug tests are increasingly becoming compulsory at many work places, for college admissions, and in sports. This has led to drug abusers to find out the ways to pass a drug test. Information is given below on the methods followed by the drug abusers to pass a drug test.

There are different kinds of drug tests but none of them are perfect. The type of the drug test to be used to test a suspect depends on the purpose of the test like whether to know about the current abuse of drug abuse in the past. The common methods of drugs testing are:

1. Urine test

2. Hair Follicle test

3. Saliva or Mouth fluid test

The common ways to pass different drug tests:

The following are the common ways that can be used by the drug abusers to pass a drug test.

To pass Urine test:

• Substitution: Using urine that is not genuine.

To pass urine drug test, concentrated synthetic urine substitute is used. Drug testing relies on the pee testers running a drug test, or drug screen, on the sample collected to test for drug metabolites. A substitute of concentrated synthetic urine is highly recommended as an effective method to pass a drug test for marijuana or for any other substance.

• Additives: Adding a chemical to disrupt the drug test

Additives work great for random tests and easier to use than concentrated urine. Using additives is the most common method of defeating the urine test. Additives like bleach and/or alum work in two different ways. Some act chemically to destroy toxins in the urine and some block the capability of the test to detect toxins in the urine.

• Detoxification: Using detoxification products.

The third way to beat the drug test is to detoxify the body system to a threshold below the drug test limits. A complete line of detoxifying products is available in the market to defeat the urine drug test.

To pass Hair Follicle test:

Hair follicle test can only detect historical drug use. Hair detox shampoos are available to make the hair show negative result for the test. Another method to pass a hair follicle test is to use detox hair sprays that are similar to the common hair sprays.

To pass Saliva test:

Saliva testing is generally used by insurance companies for detecting the presence of nicotine and other drugs in the chemicals in the mouth. This test is conducted to find the immediate use of drugs. Saliva drug testing can be passed using detox mouthwash, which is available in the market.

This should help you to look for ways to prevent a potential drug addict from circumventing the test procedure.

Urine Drug Testing – All The Facts

UsaDrugTest — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:49:09 +0000

A urine drug test is a process where a persons urine is analysed to detect the presence of illegal drugs. As with a regular urinalysis, it is vital to collect a midstream urine sample. This means that the first stream of urine is discarded, and only the middle part is collected in a sterile container. One to two ounces is sufficient for the test. It is recommended to clean the genital area prior to collection to ensure purity of the sample. Conventionally the first morning sample is most helpful.

1. Security Measures

To prevent switching samples with another person’s urine, some testing methods call for the subject to be observed while urinating. This is obviously against the civil liberties of an individual however. One way to balance the person’s right to privacy and the accuracy of the results of the test, some testing facilities require the subject to remove all personal belongings and wear a hospital gown. The collection is then done in a room where the subject does not have access to water that can be used to dilute the sample.

Some individuals attempt to subvert a urine test by drinking plentiful amounts of water. The testing facility, however, may counteract this by rejecting a sample due to its consequently clear color. In the event that such a sample is accepted, it is flagged and may be subjected to a specific gravity test. The normal specific gravity range of a urine sample is between 1.006 and 1.030 (higher numbers indicate higher concentration). A sample that is too dilute may be rejected; the dilution is noted in the report and sent back to the body that requested the test. As a general rule, the testing facility will not test a sample when the tamper-evident seal has been damaged.

2. Stages of Drug Testing

As with a routine urinalysis, the urine drug test may contain two discrete stages: (1) physical examination, where the color, specific gravity, clarity and concentration are noted; and (2) chemical examination, that tests for the specific illegal drugs of interest. A third stage in urinalysis, however, the microscopic examination, that identifies cells, casts and other components such as mucous and bacteris.

Analysis methods include:

- High performance liquid chromatography – Immunoassay analysis – Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS)

GCMS is usually viewed as a confirmation test, as in the case when the result is contested when it turns out to be positive. There are some cases when a result turns out to be a false positive, where other interfering factors such as certain types of foods and prescription medication should be taken into account.

3. Home Tests

Another analysis method of the sample involves the on-site (or home) test, that usually consists of a chemical-laden card or dipstick that yields the result of the test in a very short period of time. Such devices can also be used to test saliva or sweat. As can be expected, these types of tests are prone to contamination and error. As such results from these are usually difficult to defend in a court of law, unless followed by an equivalent lab-based test.

Additionally, a full urine drug test (or routine urinalysis, for that matter) entail special apparatus and technical skills. These home kits only perform part of the full chemical tests, that may include urine glucose, urine pH, and urine ketones.

Drug testing in general has been a controversial subject ever since its introduction in the early twentieth century. Some have argued that it constitutes violations to a person’s privacy.

Justification of its use has mostly been in the workforce scenarion, most notably in two situations: (1) pre-employment procedures, where the employer would want to minimize risk of hiring prospects with potential drug problems; and (2) post-accident drug testing, where certain circumstances may justify testing the employee involved to determine whether he or she was under the influence of the drug at the time of the accident.