Origin Diagnostics Drug Testing

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Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). It is the most often used illegal drug in this country. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs that contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana.

THC is the chemical in marijuana which makes you feel “high” (which means experiencing a change in mood and seeing or feeling things differently). Certain parts of the plant contain higher levels of THC. The flowers or “buds” have more THC than the stems or leaves.

When  marijuana is smoked, THC goes quickly into the blood through the lungs and then to the brain (this is when the “high” is felt and can happen within a few minutes and can last up to five hours). THC is absorbed more slowly into the blood when marijuana is eaten because it has to pass through the stomach and intestine and can take up to one hour to experience the “high” effects, which can last up to 12 hours. THC is absorbed quickly into body fat and is then released very slowly back into the blood. This process can take up to one month for a single dose of THC to fully leave the body.

Marijuana, the most often used illegal drug in this country, is a product of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana, also present in other forms of cannabis, is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Of the roughly 400 chemicals found in the cannabis plant, THC affects the brain the most.

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The term opiate refers to the alkaloids found in opium, an extract from the seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.). It has also traditionally referred to natural and semi-synthetic derivatives of morphine. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to all drugs with opium-/morphine-like pharmacological action, which are more properly classified under the broader term opioid.

Opiates are primarily central nervous system (CNS) depressants and narcotic analgesics. The use of opiates typically creates physical as well as psychological dependence and tolerance. Opium is the milky latex fluid contained in the unripened seed pod of the opium poppy (papaver somniferum).

Opium contains a number of different alkaloids. But only one family of alkaloids, the phemanthrene alkaloids, can be converted to narcotic substances. It is this highly addictive family of alkaloids and their derivatives that are controlled by national and international law. From this family comes morphine, codeine, and thebaine – the natural opiates The semi-synthetic opiates are then derived from these substances.

Make sure you drug test your employees and teens for Opiates.

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Amphetamine commonly referred to as “speed”, was first marketed in the 1930′s as Benzedrine in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion. By 1937, amphetamine was available by prescription in tablet form. During World War II, amphetamine was widely used to keep soldiers alert and both dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine) became readily available. Until recent years, amphetamines were commonly prescribed for weight loss. But due to a high potential for abuse and addiction, they are now reserved for limited treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy (attacks of uncontrollable sleepiness), and Parkinson’s disease. Because amphetamines increase alertness, energy, and a sense of well-being, they are sometimes used illicitly by truck drivers, shift workers, students, and athletes. They are also commonly abused as appetite suppressant. Amphetamine are found in a wide variety of shapes and forms and also have a wide variety of sources. This, even experienced users may be unable to tell which drug they have actually taken.

Amphetamine are found in both prescription form and in illicitly manufactured forms. Prescription amphetamines are usually found in the form of tablets or capsules – in a variety of shapes and colors. Though prescription amphetamines can be found on the street, typical street amphetamine is manufactured in illicit laboratories. This form of the drug has a higher potential for abuse and addiction than the prescription forms. Illicit amphetamine is found in varied colors, but is normally a white crystalline powder that is sniffed. It is also commonly converted to a liquid form and injected.

Make sure you drug test your employees and teens for Amphetamine.

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The drug abuse among people, employees, and especially among teenagers is a cause of concern and several drug testing methods are used to check drug abuse. Multi panel drug testing kits can be easily used for employee drug testing, home drug testing, performance drug testing, pre-employment and random employee drug testing etc. The multi panel drug testing proves to be beneficial as they test for number of drugs, are easy to perform, and provides reliable and accurate results. The multi panel drug testing kits use urine or saliva to detect drugs.

Checks for Multiple Drug Tests
The primary objective of multi panel drug testing kits is to test for several drugs in a single sample at one time. Since number of drugs can be tested through one kit, there is no need to conduct separate test for each drug and thus it saves time. The multi panel drug testing kits can detect number of drugs present in any combination in urine or saliva samples. Multi-panel urine drug screen test also increases the efficiency of the drug test as it can find multiple drugs presence in single specimen at first attempt. They are available in different formats like multi panel drug test cups and multi panel drug test cards. The multi panel drug tests can detect commonly abused drugs like Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Marijuana (THC), Phencyclidine, Opiates, Methadone, Barbiturate, Benzodiazepine, and Ecstasy in urine and saliva samples.

Cost-Effective
The multi panel drug tests saves considerable amount of money as it tests for several drugs in single sample in first attempt. They are also suitable for random drug testing which requires quick results. The multi panel drug tests are also easy to conduct, provide accurate, quick, and reliable results. Multi panel drug tests are also available in different drug combinations according to the needs. Thus, it provides for a cost-effective way that gives good returns and value for the money.

Simple and Easy To Use
Multi panel drug tests are available in test cards and test cups which are designed for easy handling and easy to use. They can be easily performed at onsite locations and provides results in just 5 mins. It provides an easy step by step procedure to conduct the test without the need of any additional instruments. It also gives same accuracy levels for preliminary tests when conducted in laboratories.

Helpful At Workplace
Multi panel drug tests are suitable for random drug testing performed at workplaces, colleges, schools, sports events etc. When used in random test for employee drug testing at workplaces, it tests for 10-12 drugs which makes it difficult for employees to clear the test. Many multi panel drug test cups are available with attached temperature strip which makes it difficult to tamper and maintains integrity of sample.

Multi panel drug tests are set to SAMHSA cut-off levels for drug concentration. Various multi panel drug tests for oral fluids are non-invasive, provide quick results, and useful for onsite testing. However, the multi panel drug tests provide only preliminary analytical results and for confirmatory purposes the samples should be send for Gas Chromatography\Mass Spectrometry (GC\MS) test.

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A saliva alcohol test detects the presence of alcohol in the saliva, and are a relatively good approximation of blood alcohol content (BAC).

Due to the fact that the concentration of alcohol in saliva is very likely to be similar to the blood alcohol content that is in the blood, saliva is a preferred method of testing for alcohol when compared with blood alcohol testing.

Saliva alcohol test have the following characteristics:

They are slightly more expensive than urine testing, but less than hair or blood testing.

They are a relatively non-intrusive method of drug testing.

They are becoming more common compared to the other methods of testing.

They are easy to administer but require lab processing for accuracy.

They detect use primarily within the past day or so.

They can detect more recent drug use than other testing methods.

They have no nationally accepted cutoff concentrations or standards for detection. This makes the results more dependent on the specific product employed and could make results less-reliable and/or less acceptable for legal considerations.

Saliva Alcohol Tests Pros

The following list represents the positive aspects of saliva drug tests:

They provide samples that are acquired under direct observation.

They present a minimal risk of tampering.

They spare patients the discomfort of repeated vein punctures.

They are non-invasive.

They present no risk of infection, thrombosis, or anemia.

They present lower total testing costs since no special staff training is required for collection.

They provide for samples that can be collected easily in almost any environment.

They can detect alcohol use.

They reflect recent drug use.

They provide a relatively short window of detection, approximately 10 to 24 hours.

Saliva Alcohol Tests Cons

The following list represents the negative aspects of saliva drug tests:

They present some detection limitation since drugs and drug metabolites do not remain in the saliva as long as they do in the urine.

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Employee drug testing has gained significant importance in organizations as it helps to find out drug abuse problems among employees. Maintaining a drug free environment fosters employee productivity, professionalism, and prevents absenteeism, addiction related crime, accidents, and injuries. Conducting pre-employment and random employee drug testing keeps a check on addiction and ensures prevailing of a safe and productive work environment.

Safety at Work Place

The organizations that conduct employee drug testing can ensure that the work environment is free from any form of addiction related crimes, injures, and accidents. Employee drug testing increases the safety at the job and maintains a safe and secure environment. Conducting pre-employment drug testing can prevent addicted persons from joining the organization and spoil the working environment. Random employee drug testing prevents existing employees to abuse to any kind of drug before coming to workplace.

Improves Productivity and Quality of Work

Employee productivity and professional environment is important for any business establishment. Drug abuse is a potential threat to any organization as it hampers the employee productivity and encourages negative traits and unprofessional behavior. Detecting drug abuse among present and future employees will lead to a healthier working environment. A healthier environment will increase the productivity and quality of work thereby increasing the profits of organization. It has been found that doing away with employees prone to addiction significantly improves productivity in organization and reduces accidents.

Reduces Health Costs of Company

The employee drug testing effectively eliminates the drug addicted employees and cleans the system. Thus, getting rid of such employee can save significant amount of money given by company towards health insurance premiums and other health costs. The addicted employees suffer from sudden mood swings and irrational behavior patterns that can result in work place accidents. The company can save health costs towards medical treatment of such employees due to workplace accidents and illnesses that occur due to addiction. Organizations can also save on recruitment costs towards hiring, firing, and training as employee drug testing ensures that present and future employees are drug abuse free.

Helps in Maintaining Integrity and Discipline

Drug free environment in organizations is a nurturing habitat for positive qualities like integrity, discipline, professionalism, productivity etc. Removing addicted employees ensures that there will be less workplace conflicts, unscrupulous behavior at workplaces. Removing addicted employees will also send a message across other employees that company has zero tolerance towards addiction. This helps to ensure that there is harmonious environment where integrity and discipline is maintained.

Employee drug testing can be effectively performed in organizations using saliva testing, urine testing and hair follicle testing. Saliva testing is non-invasive and provides instant results. Urine drug screening is done using test strips and provides accurate and reliable results. The hair follicle testing is non-invasive and performed in laboratories. It plays an important part in employee drug testing as it can give drug abuse history for much longer period of time.

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The method of collecting a urine sample for drug screening can be important. Some illicit drug users may attempt to substitute another person’s urine, or chemically alter their own specimen. If the urine drug screen is being used for an important decision, such as employment or legal action, procedures to minimize chances of an adulterated or substituted sample may be necessary. These include measuring the temperature or pH of the sample immediately after it is procured, and using tamper-proof containers. Supervised specimen collection may be conducted to ensure that the urine indeed comes from the person being screened.

The most commonly used method for urine drug screening is immunoassay, a rapid and accurate test that uses antibodies embedded on test strips to reveal drug use. Antibodies react only in the presence of very specific substances—in this case, drugs present in urine. When a sufficient concentration of a drug (or drugs) are present, the test strip will indicate which substances have been detected. A control band on each strip confirms that the test was done correctly.

Positive screening results should always be confirmed by a more sensitive method. The most widely accepted corroborative test for all drugs is gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which can determine the specific substances in the body by recognizing not only the molecular structure of the original compound, but also its metabolite, a chemical created when the drug is metabolized.

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Passing a drug test is a common discussion on the Internet these days and the majority of the information is focused on passing a urine test.  The majority of drug tests that are given are for pre-employment purposes.  Because of this, many substance abuse users are finding themselves in the position where they want to get a job, but they are not able to pass a drug test.
There are various resources that people utilize when attempting to pass a drug test.  These individuals are often very knowledgeable on how long drugs can be detected in their system.  For instance, alcohol is only present for 12-24 hours, but can be detected up to 5 days after use with a standard EMIT drug test.  Marijuana can stay in the system from 2 days to 12 weeks depending on use.  Methamphetamines can be detected within 3-5 days.  These individuals will try to take their drug test at the latest possible time or date that they can.
Another tactic that many users will use is to drink an excess of water before the drug test.  This causes the urine to become very dilute and may cause the test results to become unreliable.  Additionally, people will drink detox solutions that are filled with B vitamins and then they drink this with an excess of water as well.  Be concerned if urine is extremely dilute.  This is often a red flag that they are trying to wash their system out.
Another tactic is to create a false positive by taking Tylenol.  This interferes with the test and may also provide inaccurate results.  Additionally, people will claim to have been eating a poppy seed bagel or muffin when they test positive.
Other individuals have become rather sneaky in the manner in which they attempt to pass drug tests.  It is not uncommon for individuals to try and sneak in synthetic urine or the urine of another animal.  Depending on where you are located, it is important to know that there are at least ten states that have outlawed the sale of synthetic urine or adulterants.  These states include:

• Arkansas
• Nebraska
• Oklahoma
• Illinois
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Virginia

If a person does end up failing the drug test, they will often simply fallback on the excuse of “that’s not possible.”  In this situation, they may attempt to have a test rescheduled at a later date.  This is often in an attempt to continue cleaning out their system so that they can pass the next test.
There a wide variety of methods that individuals will use to pass a pre-employment drug test and it is a good idea to have a firm grasp on these methods as well as the signs that something may not be right with a person’s test specimen.