Drug testing from the perspective of a lab science student

Discussion in 'General' started by Freemls, Feb 9, 2016.

  1. So I noticed there is not a lot of information about drug testing from the perspective of someone who actually does drug testing as part of their job. I am currently in a program to become a medical lab scientist (I graduate in a few months) and I happen to have a little extra inside information on exactly how the drug testing is done here. I don't agree with testing for THC and I think it's ridiculous.


    Based on what I have been taught about drug testing, it is actually much simpler than some people think (this info is based on laboratory drug testing). Basically a One-Step Drug screen test card is used to test for all of the different drugs including THC. For these cards (which most hospitals probably use) the cutoff point for THC is 50 ng/mL. The card has strips on the end of it that are immersed in a cup of urine. The results are then read after 5 minutes.


    I've noticed that many people talk about how the lab will test to see if your creatinine, urea, etc. are within normal levels to see if you diluted your urine or if the urine is fake. These things have to be done through separate tests that the lab is not going to waste their time and resources on for drug testing. These tests are done for other reasons, such as a person being sick or something. They will however examine the cup of urine for a slightly yellow color to determine if the urine is diluted or not.


    When the card is read, the results can either be positive, negative, or invalid and that's it. There is no sheet printed off that lists the different levels of metabolites, creatinine, etc (tests like this would probably be a urinalysis, blood work, etc. and the lab doesn't want to waste their resources). Now, if the testing card is perfectly good and the test comes up invalid, they may have some suspicion.

     
  2. Great input, what does your name stand for lol?9


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  3. #3 friendlyflier, Feb 9, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 9, 2016
    Okay so here is my question: I am trying to get clean for a DOT test. I also take adderall. I will test positive for amphetamine so my sample will be tested at the secondary cutoff levels.


    Does the whole 5-panel get tested at the secondary levels or just the amphetamine?
    I'm worried because the secondary cutoff for THC is 15 mg/ml vs the primary 50 mg/ml and I have a high-ish percentage of body fat. I can pass the 50 but I don't think I can pass the 15
     
  4. The 5-panel cards all have a certain cutoff value that doesn't change (amphetamines is 1000 and THC is 50). In order to test below the second cutoff value they will probably do a different test called the EIA (enzyme immunoassay). This test allows them to test at even lower cutoff values, but because they suspect you are going to have amphetamines in your system, they will only test for the amphetamine second cutoff value and probably won't bother with the THC.


    I think they only do the EIA if they suspect a certain drug is in your system and they want to use more a more precise test, so I wouldn't worry about them testing for the second cutoff value for THC (which is 20). They will probably focus on one type of drug. If the amphetamine is above the second cutoff value then I'm assuming they'll think that you are abusing the amphetamine.


    Here is the link that talks about the EIA.

    https://www.redwoodtoxicology.com/resources/cutoff...
     
  5. You need to be aware that some federal agencies test for dilution and creatine on every test. The DOT does in fact test for those. I'm talking employees NOT DOT test for cdl. Additionally if you are suspect or had an accident at work you could be given a more compete test that checks for substitution and dilution. As smoking usage goes up and test costs go down don't be surprised to see dilution testing to be part of a normal drug test.
     


  6. Yeah I understand that. I was just saying that the basic test that a lot of places use pre-employment is the simple testing card. Usually a diluted sample will give an invalid result which means indicates a false negative, and places get suspicious after this. I don't know a ton about drug testing, and this is all I have been taught.

     
  7. What OP describes may be the case for an employment drug screen prior to hiring, but you can bet that many agencies send samples for more thorough testing when there is a presumptive positive. When liberty interests are at stake (ie. being arrested on a warrant for the Motion to Revoke), then the GCMS is going to be done...and if it ISN'T done, you can BET testing methodology is going to be an issue in the revocation proceeding.


    Most good attorneys are also going to be requesting subpoenas for the person who administered the test as well as the person who ran the analysis, not to mention the subpoena duces tecum for all data associated, not only with the specific test but for credentials, certification of equipment and additional materials that may be relevant to the specific testing protocols at issue.

     
  8. I never saw a disclaimer that this was reference a standard hiring screen. Important thing is to make sure everyone knows that preemployment tests are usually very weak but other tests can be very thorough although not unbeatable. Most of the questions here are indeed hiring screen tests but not all.

    I took several classes for the DOT (Employee) program and it's pretty clear do drugs and falsify or dilute a test leads to termination if you do not provide a clean sample. People need to read up on the rules of their particular workplace. Very few will be that harsh. I never wanted to sweat it so I never smoked while working.
     
  9. If a workplace does random testing do they have to let you know before you are hired? This is the one thing I am worried about for when I get a job in a few months. I plan to stop smoking a couple months before getting a job but I'm hoping where I work they don't do randoms. I know most places test you if you get in a workplace accident or if they are really suspicious. I have read a lot about "random testing" and it seems that it's usually pretty uncommon unless you have a job where you drive, operate machinery, etc. I know before getting a job there is always a page with rules and regulations that includes drug testing and I'm just wondering if they have to tell you if they do random testing.



    I was reading on a forum that talked about random drug testing and working in a laboratory, and none of the people said they had ever been randomly tested, just pre-employment. I just hope I'm one of the lucky ones because I really enjoy the ganja :)

     
  10. Many jobs really don't care as long as you are not high at work. My wife only had a preemployment test and nothing else in 8 years thank goodness. If they really tested they KNOW they would lose a large part of the workforce.

    I will have the same issue should I take a job dangling in front of me and I wondered how I would approach that other than to ask a coworker. I have quit before and will do so if I take this job and they do other tests.....the first test if they have one will have to be something other than my urine lol. I would be merely a consultant or subject matter expert working from home so I am hoping there is no tests.
     


  11. I long for the day that they federally legalize it or even just create a special test that can tell if a person is currently high or not. So damn annoying.

     
  12. #12 Jane_Bellamont, Feb 11, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 11, 2016
    You're a godsend! Just what we needed on Grasscity. Those threads are getting rather boring, though I can sympathize with these poor people who just want to get a job so they can contribute to society and pay their taxes, while at the same time being able to come home, relax and have a joint that they bought with their hardearned money.
     


  13. There is no standard that can be quantified as 'currently high or not.' Instead, you would get the same arbitrary situation as with alcohol where there is a threshold limit at which one is presumptively intoxicated. By example, someone can be .08 and will be convicted of DWI even though their build is such that they showed no signs of intoxication or impairment, while someone else can be under .08 and be toasted...fortunately, the statutes generally provide that they can ALSO be convicted but it is a more difficult task absent a good video account of the stop.


    It would seem you should know this working in a lab environment...

     


  14. Obviously if a person has a blood alcohol level of .08 then they have been recently drinking even if they aren't actually "intoxicated", whereas there is no definitive test that says a person had been smoking weed earlier that day. The obvious difference is that if you get drunk the previous night, it's probably not going to stay in you system until the next day. Of course I understand this, which is why I said that it would be nice if there was something like this. I recently saw a show talking about the current development of a marijuana breathalyzer that can determine if a person has recently used marijuana, although I know nothing about it or how it would work.

     


  15. Yeah, actually there ARE a lot of cases where alcohol is still in the system for several hours...hence the need for the competent attorneys to fully grasp retrograde extrapolation given that the State is damned sure going to know those formulas. There are PLENTY of cases where people got snagged for DWI (or worse, Intox Assault or Intox Manslaughter) who had not had a single drink for more than 12 hours and who looked absolutely fine on video and in the SFST's.



    The point about .08, however, is it is just as arbitrary as the threshold limits in places like Colorado for THC. They do not actually demonstrate that someone lacked the use of their faculties at that moment in time. It is an arbitrary number that was voted on by a legislative body. Further indicia of the arbitrariness is that .02 can get a pilot's certificate yanked by the FAA yet the State won't prosecute for Flying While Intoxicated for that level.


    That being said, the Colorado limits have offered some interesting tactics as they relate to chopping a THC-related Intox Assault or Manslaughter down to simply Assault or Manslaughter...and retrograde extrapolation really doesn't work with THC, so those arbitrary thresholds have opened up a whole new arena for experts to come in and fill for both the State AND the defense.

     
  16. I have a question, I know this thread is old but o well... I used real,fresh, clean urine for a drug test in march 7th. Temperature and everything was perfect and yes I know for absolute fact the pee was clean. The test was sent to quest, its now march 10th and me nor the employer have heard anything.. What could be the cause? Please give me some insight..
     
  17. I am in NC so the law here and I would think it would be the same everywhere because this is a basis for being sued for discrimination. In order for a company to do random drug screens, they must have a system in there computers that will give out your social security number. It is random, depending on how many people work there, in the whole company, you could go a year and not get hit. But you also could go two months in a row. If I was questioned to do it twice but random drawing, I would have to say that someone might be playing with the computer. But odds are like in Vegas, they are against you. Percentage wise the more people the lower the chance your number has to pop up. BUT they cannot just say, hey we want you to take a drug test. Unless you have had an accident. You know they can't just sit there say oh such such, I think might be doing something at this location, I think we should test them. That's like profiling you that is illegal. So they have to use the computer program to randomly spit out the numbers however they have it set up. Like example, every store they own 2 people must be tested a month. So if it is that tight, which I think that would be kinda of expensive for a large company with many locations, like a well known fast food chain, they have over 45 stores, that is 90 test a month and 1080 a year, not counting the pre-employment ones and the accident ones. But I do not know. My son has been employed at the same company I was at for 15 years (me) and he has taken two, one when he was hired and then about a month after he got hired and that was the last time and he has been there almost two years. But I think it is luck, because I know the company and the DO, and the owner.
     
  18. Yeah that random shit is stupid as hell. Some hospitals randomly drug test but lucky for me most labs don't seem to worry about it. The computer thing makes since though; I wasn't really sure how that worked or how they do it.
     

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