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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.
Posts Tagged ‘Accurate Results’
Drug Testing Methods at Work Place
Posted in drug test hair 
Tags: Absenteeism, Accurate Results, Chicago Land, Test Procedure, Urine Drug TestingComparison of Hair Drug Testing With Saliva Drug Testing
An examination of specimen to detect specific drug presence or to determine prior drug abuse is known as drug test. Several methods have been developed to trace drug presence. Among those Hair and Saliva drug testing methods have emerged rapidly and accepted widely throughout the world.
Characteristics Of Hair Drug Testing And Saliva Drug Testing
Hair drug testing method is usually preferred in forensic studies due to its highly accurate results and many organizations use hair drug testing to find drug abuse for longer periods. Saliva drug testing is used in businesses, schools and in sports as results can be obtained immediately and due to its portability.
Hair drug testing and Saliva drug testing methods, both are donor friendly and difficult to adulterate. However, they have specific characteristics in respect of applications of usage.
• Easiness:
- The procedure followed to test drug presence using hair drug testing is easy. It is required to collect some hair samples and to send to a lab for testing.
- Saliva drug testing is easy to use and test can be conducted at the site of specimen collection.
• Duration For Drug Detection:
- Using Hair Drug Testing method, drug presence can be detected even after 90 days from the time of abuse. This test is widely accepted due to its effectiveness in results.
- Saliva drug testing is considered as an effective method to determine recent drug abuse and the duration of detection is 1-2 days from the time of abuse. Effectiveness of the results in saliva drug testing is based on the collection of the specimen.
• Adulteration:
- Adulteration of test samples in hair drug testing is highly impossible.
- In saliva drug testing, it is harder to adulterate but it is good to collect the specimen under the supervision for better results.
• Detects Major Drugs:
- Five major drugs abuse can be detected using hair drug testing using enzyme-immunoassay method.
- Seven major drugs can be detected using saliva drug testing, and using GC/MS method.
• Easy And Convenient:
- Hair drug testing technique is used at laboratories to detect drug presence from the test samples. Performing this test is easy, and convenient for those who know how to perform.
- Saliva drug testing is easy, and convenient to perform the test. This technique is more sensitive than any other drug testing method.
• Accuracy Of Results:
- Hair drug testing results are 100% accurate and these results are used as evidence for drug abuse.
- Accuracy of results in saliva drug testing is 95-98% and often performed in post accident situations.
• Skills Required For Conducting The Test:
- To perform a hair drug test, the person may need relevant knowledge to conduct the test. This test is usually conducted in highly equipped labs.
- Saliva drug testing can be performed by anyone, and at both home and lab.
This information gives characteristics of Hair drug testing and Saliva drug testing to understand the specific applications and to use both the testing methods effectively.
Posted in drug test hair Tags: Accurate Results, Forensic Studies, Hair Drug Testing, Periods, RespectDetecting Cocaine Abuse with Drug Test Kits
Cocaine is one of the most powerful addictive drugs of abuse. According to a recent survey from NIDA, around one in six Americans (15% in 2007), by the age of 30, have tried cocaine. Cocaine can directly affect brain and has serious impact on health of the abused. Detecting cocaine abuse with drug testing kits is easy, quick, and provides sensibly accurate results. Frequent screening helps to monitor people from cocaine abuse, effectively.
About Cocaine
Cocaine is extracted from the plant Erythroxylon coca. It is stimulant of the central nervous system and suppressant of appetite. Cocaine is a popular as recreational or club drug in many countries all over the world. Chewing, smoking, snorting, inhaling, and injecting are general methods of cocaine consumption. Cocaine consumption results in increased stamina, alertness, heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and euphoria in the abused.
Cocaine inside human system
The time taken for cocaine to enter into the human system depends upon the method of consumption. Cocaine takes 30 minutes to enter the blood stream of the abused when it is consumed orally. It is around 20 minutes in case of inhaling and 3.1 minutes in case of injecting. Cocaine melts effortlessly into the fat of the abused and thus stays for around 2 to 4 days inside a human system.
Cocaine drug testing kits
Cocaine can be detected for up to 3 days in urine drug testing. It can be detected for up to 90 days in hair drug testing. Cocaine drug testing kits provide quick results with reasonable accuracy.
Hazards of cocaine abuse
The regular usage of cocaine develops a tolerance to the drug, thus possessing high risks of developing into drug dependence or addiction. Inhalation of cocaine destroys nose membranes. Smoking of cocaine may damage the lungs. Consuming cocaine through injections possess high risks of acquiring transmittable diseases like HIV and Hepatitis. Chronic cocaine users have high risks of strokes, seizures, and heart attacks.
Cocaine drug tests help people to monitor their friends or family members and help to stay away from cocaine abuse. Even people, who have applied for a job where drug screening is a part of the interview process, use drug testing kits to check traces of previous cocaine dosage in their body.
Posted in drug test kit Tags: Accurate Results, Cocaine Consumption, Consumption Results, Drug Test Kits, Injecting Cocaine