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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Synonyms for Barbiturates in General: Sleeping Pills

Street Names for Barbiturates: Barbs, Downers

Barbiturates are commonly divided into groups based on the onset and duration of their action. The intermediate and short-acting barbiturates are the categories most commonly abused, most notably Seconal (secobarbital) and Tuinal (secobarbital with amobarbital). Long-acting barbiturates have an onset of action of 30 to 60 minutes and a duration of action of 6 to 8 hours.

Examples of long-acting barbiturates are phenobarbital and barbital. Their slow onset of action discourages their abuse.
The intermediate-acting barbiturates have an onset of action of 15 to 30 minutes and a duration of action of 4 to 6 hours.

Examples of intermediate-acting barbiturates are amobarbital, butabarbital, and Tuinal.
The short-acting barbiturates have an onset of action of 10 to 15 minutes and have a duration of action of 2 to 4 hours.

Examples of short-acting barbiturates are secobarbital and pentobarbital.
The ultra-short-acting barbiturates have an onset of action of 0 to 45 seconds and a duration of action 15 minutes to 3 hours. These are barbiturates used as anesthetics. Their effects are generally felt within one minute of intravenous administration.

Examples of ultra short-acting barbiturates are thiopenthal sodium, hexobarbital, and methohexital. The rapid onset and brief duration of action practically precludes the use of ultra-short-acting barbiturates in the street environment.
Concern about the addiction potential of barbiturates and the ever-increasing numbers of fatalities associated with them led to the development of alternative medications.

Barbiturates can be detected in urine drug testing from 2 to 10 days. Depending on usage.

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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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Certain over the counter medications can interfere with accurate results. These include ibuprofen and ephedrine-based products. Most drug testing companies will ask the applicant in advance what medications they have recently taken. The applicant should list these carefully. If the medication has compromised the result of the drug test the sample is automatically retested using a methodology that will identify the drug type. The applicant can present a doctor’s prescription for the medication that can be reviewed by the medical officer. Some medications will preliminarily test non-negative, but the confirmatory tests will rule out any non-illegal substances

Employers cannot discriminate in their hiring practices based on an applicant’s use of prescription medication for legitimate medical purposes. Such discrimination could be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Click on the link for:

Cross Reaction Drug Chart

Note: Cocaine (COC) and Ecstasy (MDMA) has no cross reaction drugs at this 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.