Screening for Prohibited Substances

introduction

A drug test is a test procedure that is usually carried out on the basis of suspected substance abuse and is used to determine the amount and type of active ingredient (drug, medicament, etc.) absorbed into the human organism.

Suitable test materials include blood and saliva, in which the administered substances accumulate after just a few minutes, urine and sweat, which contains detectable concentrations after a few hours, and hair and nails, in which the active ingredients are incorporated after several days .

The testing can either be in the form of Rapid tests (Test strips etc.) or through Laboratory tests (Antibody detection with an immuno-essay such as ELISA, chromatography, mass spectrometer).

Detectable drugs include: alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, Stimulants like Amphetamines or Ecstasy, Barbiturates, Opioids, Hallucinogens like LSD or K.O. drops (Gamma Hydroxy Butyric Acid).

Please also read our page Consequences of drugs.

Drug test using blood

The blood, as the medium transporting the addictive or drug substance, is one of the most suitable research materials, since it is responsible for the transport to the organs or sites of action from the time of administration until complete excretion or until complete breakdown.

However, it is important to know that Drug substances or their breakdown substances are present in much lower concentrations in the blood, than in urine, for example. This leads to the Only comparatively brief evidence of drug use can be (hours to a day) before the active ingredient is degraded to such an extent that its concentration can no longer be determined by the usual tests.

General screening for substance abuse is therefore only possible to a limited extent.

On the other hand, however, the blood is all the more suitable for an assessment of the direct substance-mediated influence on the person concerned, e.g. by taking alcohol, drugs, or medication.

The only downside to a necessary one Blood collection is that it is one invasive procedure acts.

Drug test using urine

The analysis of the urine is in many cases of drug testing Means of choice or it is carried out as a supplementary test (e.g. in addition to taking blood).

The reason for this is that urine is used as a sample material easy, quick and non-invasive can be obtained and the substances that are tested for in higher concentration in the urine than in the blood, for example.

In addition, the drug substances can be significant longer in urine than detected in blood (days to a week).

In some cases, for example with constant consumption benzodiazepines or cannabis, the respective substances can also be used several weeks after the last dose in the urine be detected.

However, the disadvantage of the urine samples is that no immediate temporal connection can be established between drug detection and drug use, as it usually takes some time before the metabolite is present in the urine in detectable concentrations.

Another disadvantage is that Possibility of manipulation the urine sample, so that a sample collection is / must often be carried out under sight. In order to keep the possibility of manipulation as low as possible, those affected are usually asked spontaneously to take a urine sample under sight.

Drug test using saliva

The saliva, as another material to be examined, is, like the blood, rather for them Judgment on the current influence from drugs.

Taking the saliva sample has a great advantage over the previously mentioned material extraction because it both non-invasive, as well as without intrusion into the intimate sphere of the person concerned can be obtained under sight.

As a rule, therefore, one obtains a greater deployment for sampling by a saliva test than by blood or urine tests.

Also the Manipulability the saliva is barely up not possible at allso that the testing is meaningful in this regard. Disadvantageous on the other hand, as with blood, is the low concentration, in which the substances to be tested are present in the saliva, so that they can only be detected here briefly.

Drug test using hair and nails

Another way to find out about substance abuse is to investigate body structures containing keratin, such as. Be hair or nails.

Some drugs have a direct influence on the keratin structure of certain skin appendages, so that Conclusions on consumer behavior of the examined can be drawn.

During hair or nail growth (1 cm per month in the case of human scalp hair), the drug substances absorbed or their breakdown products are constantly incorporated into the hair matrix and thus saved permanently.

Depending on the length of the hair, for example, one can 5cm long hair of the Drug use in the past 5 months should be reviewed. The simple, non-invasive removal of the hair or nail sample is also advantageous here.

However, the hair sample is usually not suitable for the analysis of a one-off or only very rare drug use, since the substance cannot necessarily be detected in the hair matrix after such a short time.

Drug test based on teeth

Finally, a certain component of the teeth, the Dentinecan be used for drug analysis. In this context, substances such as ecstasy, Morphine, Codeine, Amphetamine, MDEA or cocaine.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is part of the Hemp plant (cannabis) and responsible for the intoxicating effects of consuming it.

Since it is under the Narcotics falls that mere consumption but not a criminal offense represents, this drug has a special position. Drug tests for the detection of THC are therefore usually carried out in the context of Traffic controls, driving disability tests or company medical examinations instead of.

The use of these drugs can be proven either through a Blood or urine sampleThe duration of detection depends on the sample material selected and the previous period of consumption (2-35 days in the urine, 12 hours in the blood).

police

Basically, if you are stopped by the police and come to you Urine test is asked to do so deny. However, if there is justified suspicion, the police can insist on a blood test at the station.

Due to the lack of manipulability the blood composition and the very precise correlation between the amount of active ingredient ingested and the actual extent of the effect in the target organ, the blood is used as a test material in drug testing in the context of police investigations the only, that the German legal requirements (Section 24a (2) of the Road Traffic Act) is fair.

pharmacy

Drug testing is by no means always necessarily associated with a visit to the doctor. Many pharmacies offer this numerous tests at that for a independent drug testing can be bought.

Such rapid tests from the pharmacy can either specific tests be that on a certain drug react positively or it is about broader addiction teststhat can reveal multiple drugs at once.For example, there are specific THC or cocaine rapid tests or tests that react positively to the use of cannabis, amphetamines, opiates and cocaine.

Usually the pharmacy drug tests are Test stripsthat discolor upon mere contact with suspicious objects or parts of the body and thus represent a positive result (Drug wipe test).

But drug tests for urine, sweat or saliva samples can also be purchased in the pharmacy.

employer

Even if drug tests in the workplace are in principle one infrigment of privacy however, they are generally allowed and always if the employee voluntarily agrees and the implementation is expressly permitted, or if clear consent was recorded in the employment contract upon recruitment.

Otherwise, drug testing in the workplace is only possible if legally or officially ordered becomes.

In addition, a concrete suspicion exist and it has to be working with some Hazard potential act.

A Rejection of the test, unless there is a court order, is included in no case a reason for termination. In the worst case, a negative can be a Warning or give rise to suspicion.

However, if drug testing is carried out in the workplace, the choice of the doctor performing the test is always up to the employee.