Posts Tagged drug testing choices

Drug testing has been increasingly common in the past years, with employers and parents finding ways to determine drug abuse within their respective areas of responsibility – the workplace for the employers and the home for the parents. With the increasing popularity of drug tests comes also the introduction of different methods of drug testing. What works best for one may not be appropriate for another, so allow us to make a simple comparison of the basic drug testing methods.

Urine Drug Testing

This is the most common drug testing method in hospitals, drug treatment and rehabilitation centers, and company offices, as the results can be made available within the same day. If using the on-site urine drug testing kit, results can be obtained within minutes. The on-site drug test, though, is not enough when you need to bring the matter to legal proceedings. Urine tests offer a window of detection that ranges from 24 to 72 hours.

Oral Fluid Drug Testing

The clear advantage of oral fluid drug testing is its convenience. Specimen can be collected anywhere; no need for special facilities to aid sample collection. Not having to collect the sample in a comfort room also eliminates the possibility of tampering. You see sample collection right in front of you. This would work well for those who need to check current drug use only as this offers a very short window of detection, just around 24 hours.

Hair Follicle Drug Testing

Hair follicle drug testing possesses the advantages of long window of detection, easy sample collection and difficult sample adulteration. It can detect drug use to as far as 3 months back from testing. Sample can be taken just anywhere, and it is not prone to basic sample tampering methods like dilution. Results may take a little more time compared to the other 2 methods, but they can be obtained within a matter of few days.