Drug Testing

Drugs have certain “detection windows”—the amount of time after ingestion during which evidence of their use can be detected by a drug test.  Though it might not be wise to publicize detection windows and invite employees who may use drugs to push their limits, when implementing drug testing, it is important to understand them.  For instance, alcohol is absorbed and eliminated more quickly than other drugs.  This is why post-accident testing procedures often require testing for alcohol to occur within two hours.  Other drugs are eliminated from the system at different rates and thus detectable for different periods of time, often long after the drug’s effect has worn off.  The following are estimates of the length of time that certain drugs are detectable:

• Alcohol – 1 oz. for 1.5 hours
• Amphetamines – 48 hours
• Barbiturates – 2-10 days
• Benzodiazepines – 2-3 weeks
• Cocaine – 2-10 days
• Heroin Metabolite – less than 1 day
• Morphine – 2-3 days
• LSD – 8 hours
• Marijuana – casual use, 3-4 days; chronic use, several weeks
• Methamphetamine – 2-3 days
• Methadone – 2-3 days
• Phencyclidine (PCP) – 1 week

Testing conducted according to SAMHSA’s guidelines checks for five illicit drugs plus, in some cases, alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, booze).  These five illicit drugs are:

• Amphetamines (meth, speed, crank, ecstasy)
• THC (cannabinoids, marijuana, hash)
• Cocaine (coke, crack)
• Opiates (heroin, opium, codeine, morphine)
• Phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust)

However, most private employers are not limited in the number of substances they can test for and may include drugs that individuals legitimately and/or therapeutically take based on a physician’s prescription.  Although most private employers can test for any combination of drugs, there are commonly selected “panels.”

The typical 8-Panel Test includes the above-mentioned substances plus:

• Barbiturates (phenobarbital, butalbital, secobarbital, downers)
• Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers like Valium, Librium, Xanax)
• Methaqualone (Quaaludes)

The typical 10-Panel Test includes the 8-Panel Test plus:

• Methadone (often used to treat heroin addiction)
• Propoxyphene (Darvon compounds)

Testing can also be done for:

• Hallucinogens (LSD, mushrooms, mescaline, peyote)
• Inhalants (paint, glue, hairspray)
• Anabolic steroids (synthesized, muscle-building hormones)
• Hydrocodone (prescription medication known as Lortab, Vicodin, Oxycodone)
• MDMA ( commonly known as Ecstasy)

Aside from a breath alcohol test, drug testing does not determine impairment or current drug use.  Rather, drug testing determines a specified amount or presence of a drug or its metabolite in urine, blood or an alternative specimen.  There is a minimum measurement applied to drug testing so that only traces of a drug or its metabolite above a specified level is reported as positive.  This measure is known as a “cut-off level,” and it varies for each drug.  Setting cut-off levels involves understanding the expected results of testing and determining the needs of the employer’s drug-free workplace program.  For instance, if a cut-off level is set low, test results will come back with more “false positives” as some “passive” users could test positive.  (For example, a low cut-off level could cause a positive result from consuming poppy seeds.)  Conversely, a high cut-off level will result in more “false negatives,” and thus some users may go undetected.  However, a high cut-off level lessens the likelihood of taking action against someone based on “passive” exposure, and for this reason SAMHSA’s guidelines set cut-off levels on the high side.

How important is it to Drug Test?

For a lot of people the answer is very easy  but in reality there is a complex issue that affects companies and their employees. For many years the war on drugs has been fought but the reality is that people still use illicit drugs but also on the rise is the use of unauthorized prescription and synthetic drugs (K2 – Synthetic Marijuana and Molly – MDMA). More than a black and white issue or an employer dictating how a employee must behave outside their work schedule, for most companies the real issue involves labor security and how drugs in the workplace impacts companies losses.

A poll from the Society of Human Resources Management showed primary reasons why companies will not conduct a drug test program in the workplace:

• 24% Their organization didn’t believe in drug testing.
• 18% They are not require by the state to drug test.
• 16% The cost of drug testing is too high.
• 16% Saw no return on their investment on a drug test policy.
• 7% It’s too difficult to administratively manage a drug test program.
• 2% They are planning to drug test in the future.
• 5% Other reasons.

How does drug abuse impact the workplace?

Drugs sometimes have a financial impact on employees that consume them because their income can’t support their habit. This creates a dangerous situation to the employer in which can open the door to workplace crime and theft. According to a report sponsored by the Department of Labor, Small Business Association (SBA) and the office of National Control, lower productivity can reach 33 percent less compared to other coworkers.

From a study in 2007 by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) this type of worker will have a trend to change jobs more often. This can impact dramatically worker turnover in a company. This relates to cost of training, slowing down company productivity, and performance.  Data from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) shows that employee turnover decreases by 16 percent when drug testing program is in place. The same data showed a drop from their respondents of 50 percent in their workers’ compensation  after they implemented a drug test program. This cost preventing measures are the reason why drug testing in the workplace is so important for companies and provides the ROI to their “Bottom Line”once the program is implemented that helps keep the work environment safer.