Pre-employment Drug Testing

For Pre-Employment drug screening, most employers require the standard 5-Panel Drug Screen or what is sometimes referred to as the SAMHSA-5. The above test is used to test for the following substances:

• Amphetamine/Methamphetamine
• Cocaine
• Opiates (heroin, codeine, morphine)
• PCP (phencyclidine)
• THC (the main psychoactive component in cannabis)

The 10-panel drug test is also widely used by several employers. It specifically tests for recreational drugs and prescription meds like Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Rohypnol, and other weight-loss drugs.

• Amphetamine
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines
• Cocaine
• Methadone
• Methamphetamine
• Opiates (heroin, codeine, morphine)
• PCP (phencyclidine)
• Propoxyphene
• THC

Employers may request various other tests to determine substance abuse. An employee’s test of choice depends largely on the hiring position in question. Safety or security sensitive positions may involve more extensive drug testing. No testing or screening may be performed without the prospective candidate being notified of the test prior to the testing.

The purpose of a clearly written drug testing policy is to outline, among other things, just exactly under what circumstances employee drug testing is to be done. Employers cannot indiscriminately order drug tests on any or all of their employees unless they explicitly state it in their drug-free workplace policy, lest they are sued for discrimination.

• Pre-employment Drug Screening
• Random Drug Testing
• Reasonable Suspicion Testing   
• Post-accident Testing
• Return to Work Testing 
• Follow-up Testing

Employers use a variety of employment-related drug and alcohol tests. Types of drug tests that confirms the presence of drugs or alcohol, include Pre-Employment Drug Testing. This is a powerful way to reduce or eliminate accidents in any workplace. There are many ways to conduct Pre-Employment Drug Testing:

• Urine drug tests
• Saliva drug tests
• Blood drug tests
• Hair drug tests
• Breath alcohol tests

Different substances have different detection times in the body, depending on the following factors:

• Metabolism – People with faster metabolic rates are able to expel toxins faster so the window of time any drug may be detected in their system is generally shorter. Conversely, the drug detection time for a person with slow metabolism tends to be longer. Metabolism is a factor of age, body type and physical activities (sedentary vs. active) and physical condition (illness/wellness). Older people tend to retain drug residues longer.
• Body fat – Fat tissue stores some drug metabolites like THC and PCP. And a person with more fat tissue tends to have a slower metabolism as well. Longer drug detection times can be expected.
• Intake method – How long any drug stays in the body is also a factor of the manner by which that drug was taken. For example, marijuana that was eaten takes longer to flush out than if it was ingested thru smoking.
• Urine pH – Human urine is naturally acidic but the lower the urine’s pH value the shorter the drug detection times.
• Chronic vs. Occasional use – Chronic users will have developed some tolerance to their drug of choice and therefore are able to flush the toxins out faster, resulting in shorter detection times.

There has been reporting of false-positive results for the following formulary and nonprescription medications:

• Brompheniramine,
• Bupropion,
• Chlorpromazine,
• Clomipramine,
• Dextromethorphan,
• Diphenhydramine,
• Doxylamine,
• Ibuprofen,
• Naproxen,
• Promethazine,
• Quetiapine,
• Quinolones (Ofloxacin and Gatifloxacin),
• Ranitidine,
• Sertraline,
• Thioridazine,
• Trazodone,
• Venlafaxine,
• Verapamil, and a nonprescription nasal inhaler.

False-positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine were the most commonly reported.

False-positive results for methadone, opioids, phencyclidine, barbiturates, cannabinoids, and benzodiazepines were also reported in patients who take commonly used medications.

The most commonly used urine tests for the screening of drugs of abuse, are immunoassays. False-positive results for drugs of abuse have however been reported when a number of these rapid-screening test products were used for testing. Relevant test results should be validated additional analytical methods, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689123

If a faint line appears in the Test Region of a drug test, this still counts as a NEGATIVE TEST RESULT. Drug test results do not vary based on the intensity of the colored lines. This means that even if the line is very faint, the test has not found any trace of that specific substance.

A negative drug test does not necessarily mean the donor has never used any of the substances being screened. If a preliminary drug test result is negative, this could mean that drug metabolites in the donor's system did not meet or exceed the cutoff concentration levels established by SAMHSA. In order for a test result to be positive, a certain quantity of metabolites is required to react with the built-in test strip reagents.

Most home drug tests are FDA Approved to perform just as well as corporate drug tests. A very faint line on a home drug test is indicative of a negative test result, as mentioned above.