Drug Testing FAQ's urine & saliva

Here are some common drug testing FAQ's and facts

We hope you find these questions and answers regarding drug testing helpful. If you do not find the answer to your drug testing question here, then e-mail us or telephone our customer services team during office hours.

How long do drugs stay positive on a drug test ?

The amount of time drugs stay in the body depends on many factors such as, the amount of the drug taken, its strength, purity, the body weight of the person being tested and rate of metabolism, and whether they are a casual user or a long term user.

Cut offs for onsite drug testing kits are brand specific and as a guide the window period for drug detection using saliva or oral fluid drug test are shorter than comparable urine drug test.

As a rough guideline most drugs (excluding cannabis will be detectable on a urine drug test for up to 3-4 days) and on a saliva drug test for up to a maximum of 72 hours (some saliva tests are only up to 24 hours)

Cannabis can be detected in some individuals on a urine drug test for up to 28-30 days (depends on individual useage and body fat composition as Cannabis metabolites stored in body fat)

Detection times in hair drug tests are longer

Click here for more information on drug test detection times for urine and saliva

Why does cannabis stay in the body for longer?

Cannabis is fat soluble, so over sustained regular use it is deposited around the body and can take several weeks, to a month to be excreted in some individuals

In practice this only occurs in heavy regular consumers of cannabis, usually the concentrated forms such as skunk, and for most irreglular or occassioanl users THC will be excreted much more quickly

There is a faint line on the drug test-is this still a negative test ?

This is a common question and one that can cause a lot of worry & confusion.

Two lines on a urine or saliva drug test kit that appear within the specified test time is a negative result. It does not matter if the test line is faint when compared to the control line.

The picture on the left shows a very clear negative result on a urine drug test where both lines are of equal intensity. However sometimes the two lines may differ in intensity and this is still a negative result. This is not of any significance and should be ignored.

The test result is negative whether the line is faint or dark.

How accurate are the drug tests ?

The urine and saliva onsite drug testing kits that we supply are between 97-99% accurate if used according to the manufacturers instructions.

Can the drug testing kits be used in an industrial tribunal ?

The drug testing kits that we supply are onsite screening tests and are not suitable for use alone in an industrial tribunal.

If a positive is detected on the onsite drug test then a urine sample should be sent to a laboratory for confirmation testing by GCMS.

Full chain of custody procedure must be followed if the result is to be used for an industrial tribunal.

The integrated EZ drug testing cup drug test is an ideal first line urine screening drug test to use as the urine sample that is collected is sealed and can then be used for laboratory confrimation if required.

Click here for more info on the professional integrated drug testing kits available

What time of day is best to perform a drug test ?

The drug testing kits can be used at any time of day.

How do you do a multi-panel urine drug test ?

Here are the instructions for the Multi-panel drug testing kit that we supply

" Ensure that the urine sample and test devices are at room temperature.
" Remove the device from the foil.
" Remove the cover by grasping each end of the cartridge. Pull to reveal 5 test strips
" Insert the end of the test strips into the urine to just below half their length. Do not exceed the maximum urine level indicator (triangles). The sample should not touch the cartridge. approx 1cm depth is a good guide
" Dip for 20 to 30 seconds.
" Read results at five minutes (Do not read after more than 10 minutes.)

Click here for more information on professional multipanel drug testing kits

How do you do a drug test with a drug testing strip ?

Most will be similar although the test time may differ. Always make sure you follow the instructions supplied with the test that you are using.

Here are the instructions for the drug testing strips that we supply.

Instructions
Do not open the foil wrapped kit until the time you want to proceed with the test.

To perform a drug test you will need a fresh urine sample, this should be cooled to room temperature, (approx. 20 minutes is adequate) and a watch or timer.

Dip the test strip into the sample for 10-15 seconds, do not dip beyond the max dip line marked on the strip.

The result showing at 5 minutes is the accurate reading for the test performed.

Click here for more info on drug testing strips

What do the abbreviations on the drug testing kits mean ?

Coding abbrevaitions on packaging for drug testing kits

" THC = MARIJUANA & CANNABIS.
" MOP/MOR 300ng/m = MORPHINE (HEROIN, OPIATE).(urine only)
" AMP = AMPHETAMINE .
" MTD = METHADONE.
" MET = METHAMPHETAMINE.
" COC = COCAINE & CRACK.
" BZO = BENZODIAZEPINE.
" MDMA = ECSTASY
'' BAR=BARBITUARTES
'' BUP=BUPRENORPHINE
'' BZO= BENZODIAZEPINES
'' OPI= 2000ng/ml OPIATES (urine test only)
'' PCP= PHENCYCLIDINE
'' TCA= TRICYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS
'' EDDP=EDDP screening tests (for methadone compliance testing)
'' OXY= OXYCODONE
'' PXP= PROPOXYTHENE
'' KET=KETAMINE
'' COT=COTININE (nicotine smoking test)

Which breath alcohol detector should we choose to test a professional driver ?

We received this question about disposable breath alcohol detectors in the workplace by telephone today

'We want to test our fork lift drivers randomly for alcohol. We are looking at the disposable breath alcohol detectors. Can you please advise which sensitivity we should go for.'

Answer
Because a fork lift driver is a professional driver and is operating machinery in a workplace, then you need to go for the 0.02% or zero tolerance breath alcohol detectors.

Click here to see the 0.02% disposable breath alcohol detectors

I am doing workplace drug testing-what do I do if the instant test is positive ?

All positive onsite drug test results will need to be confirmed using an accredited laboratory procedure. Usually this is by GC/MS (gas chromatography, mass spectrometry) which determins the exact drug and amount in the sample.

This should be completed before any employment consequence is applied but the employee may be removed from the workplace on full pay, pending the confirmation test result if the employer considers there may be a risk to them or other workers.

Click here for professional onsite urine drug testing cups suitable for workplace drug tests