Instant Drug Test

This test may screen for only one illegal drug like opiates or marijuana but some of them test for several drugs at the same time. An instant drug test may feature parameters or panels, which will tell how many substances the test will screen for. Some of the common instant tests are five panel, ten panel, and three panel. The test that is considered more comprehensive is the ten panel. It will screen for about ninety-five percent of all illegal drugs. This includes methamphetamines, marijuana, opiates, and cocaine.

These drug tests can be done in different ways but the one that is used the most is the urine instant drug test. When it screens the person’s urine, it screens for the metabolites in the urine and not the presence of any particular drug. These metabolites exist only because of a drug that a person might be using. These can test a person’s blood, hair, saliva, and even sweat, too.

In addition to testing for illegal drugs, these tests can also test for recent alcohol consumption. A Breathalyzer® is a form of an instant drug test for alcohol. It uses a sample of a person’s breath to determine their blood alcohol content. There are blood and urine tests that screen for alcohol in the body along with alcohol strips. These are put in the mouth to identify if the person has drunk alcohol.

The time a drug can be detected accurately is called the detection period. These time periods vary with each illegal drug because each illegal drug is metabolized at different rates by the body. Marijuana is detected in the urine up to thirty days after smoking it. This is because it is stored in the fat cells of your body and takes longer to purge. Being a water-soluble substance cocaine is usually out of your system within seventy-two hours after using.

An instant drug test makes it harder to get a job and helps prevent employers from paying workers compensation for accidents due to the employee being under the influence of illegal drugs.