Employers request drug tests for employees unexpectedly, especially when they begin to suspect that some employees may be taking drugs. There are even companies that have job applicants tested as part of the recruitment process. Regardless of whether you are already an employee or trying to land a job, having to take a drug test if you consume any one of them can be quite a headache to deal with.
If you love your job, you probably have more to lose than someone still trying to land one. Most drug examinations initiated by employers are unexpected. As a result, both heavy and light drug users in the workplace hardly have enough time to detox or prepare other means by which they can pass the examination. This is why many people go to companies that specialize in helping people pass these tests. You can check out the full Testclear review to learn more.
Now, one might feel a little bitter about this especially if this happens in one of those states that have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. But the truth remains that most companies have policies that are against the use and consumption of drugs like weed, cocaine, methamphetamines, and opioids by their employees.
That said, many people who take marijuana for recreational purposes see it as unfair to have to lose their job for something that has been legalized in their state. So, what do you do when you are asked to be examined out of the blue, which really is how these tests work? If you are convinced that the result would come back positive and that you are likely to lose your job as a result, you should do something about it.
Luckily, there are a few ways by which people can increase their chances of getting a negative result. In this article, we will go over a few of them in detail. But before we discuss those, let us briefly look at the types of drug tests that exist, one or some of which you may be asked to take.
Types of Drug Tests
There are four main types of drug tests which are:
- Urine test: This is the most widely used method as its results come out quickly and are mostly accurate. For this examination, you will be asked to provide a urine sample which will be tested for the presence of any unwanted substances. This test can detect marijuana usage from as far back as a month. You can read about how to make yourself pee for a drug test.
- Blood test: Although considered the most invasive, this method produces the most accurate results with even more information. The information that can be gotten through a blood drug analysis is so robust that labs can get the precise level or amount of substance, especially alcohol in the blood sample. These days, rather than using traditional blood collection techniques like venipuncture, many labs now use the volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS®) technology. Visit https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ to learn more about (VAMS®).
- Saliva test: This method is also invasive, howbeit, not as much as blood analysis. Saliva examinations can only detect recent usage of about a few hours ago. For instance, testing for marijuana use will only produce results if the subject has used or consumed marijuana within the last 4 to 10 hours. Therefore, this method is not very accurate.
- Hair: Hair drug tests can detect weed usage from as far back as three months and sometimes four! What this means is that subjects that had as few as a couple of puffs three to four months ago could still test positive. That said, this method may not be the best when testing for recent usage as it can be difficult to know exactly when the substance was taken into the body.
Passing Drug Tests
The following are ways by which people increase their chances of passing marijuana drug tests:
Detox Drinks
Detox drinks help to keep your urine clean of any traces of marijuana, but their effects are short-lived, working for about five hours. We should reiterate that detox drinks in no way strip weed traces from the urine or blood. Therefore, you should stay away from products that are marketed as being capable of such.
What detox drinks really do is add vitamins and proteins like creatinine to the urine which helps in deceiving the laboratory. There are many detox drinks on the market, many of which are simply ineffective. That said, when you go shopping, you may want to consider buying the more expensive ones as they are usually of higher quality and are more likely to produce the results you want.
After taking a detox drink, you will probably have to urinate repeatedly. So, experts advise that you take it about three hours before you expect to be tested.
Detox Kits
These are 5 to 10-day programs that include detox beverages, medications, and dietary fibers. The combined use of all these drastically increases how fast traces of marijuana is taken out of the body, especially tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Detox kits are the most reliable and effective way to rid the body of THC. But since most drug tests are unexpected, it may be difficult to really take advantage of detox kits. One may have to rely on one’s intuition or pick up on cues that suggest employees are to be tested soon. Click here to learn more about THC.
Tampering with Urine Samples
There are several ways by which people go about this. One, the urine sample could be diluted with water, the subject could provide someone else’s urine that is sure to pass the examination or even synthetic urine. Yes! There are companies that produce synthetic urine solely for the purpose of these tests and most of the time, they work. There have also been cases where subjects provided animal urine as a sample.
These options really only work when the sample can be provided without supervision. If you have a really strict boss, you may be asked to provide the sample there in the lab, and at that, under supervision.
Final Thoughts
There are a few home remedies that some say have worked. Examples include lemon juice and apple cedar vinegar. But what if you were subjected to a hair follicle test? Well, there are special shampoos that claim to cleanse the hair and scalp of any traces of drugs. Most times, employees have no idea which tests they may have to take, so, it’s wise to ensure you have all areas covered before going in.
