A home drug test is a scientific piece of equipment that allows you to conduct an experiment at home that tells you whether the person from whom the sample is taken has been taking drugs or not. While home drug testing is becoming extremely popular among parents of teens, the drug testing kits are also being used in schools, offices and small businesses.

These home tests can be used to detect harmful drugs like THC (called marijuana, weed, pot or hash), opiates (heroin, morphine or codeine), cocaine (crack or snow), MDMA (ecstasy or X), Amphetamines (speed or uppers) and Benzodiazepines (Valium or Xanax).

A home drug test has various advantages over a test that is done in the laboratory. The top 5 advantages of testing drugs at home are listed below:

1. Faster results – This test can be done within minutes. You do not have to collect the sample, deliver it to the laboratory and then wait patiently for the results to come in. With a drug test kit, you can take a sample and use a disposable drug test to know the answer to the question that has been plaguing you for some time. (more…)

You might be tempted to say that something like drug testing has no place in an office and it should be kept out. But the fact is that companies are experimenting with drug testing because drug and alcohol misuse is ever increasing.

A recent survey suggests that 17 percent of the adult population are regular illegal drug users. It is the responsibility (duty of care) of all employers to provide a safe working environment. An employee or contractor on your worksite who is affected by drug use cannot assist in providing a safe workplace. They are a danger to themselves, their work colleagues and others. Statistics suggest employees who are regular drug users are ten times more likely to take sick leave and 33 percent less productive than abstainers.

Integrity Sampling is a group of highly qualified technicians who provide a uniform, independent drug and alcohol testing service throughout Australia and New Zealand. It specializes in the development of workplace drug and alcohol policies, drug and alcohol awareness education programs, independent workplace drug and alcohol testing and a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week call-out service. Integrity Sampling technicians are all proficient in the use of the Cozart (R) drug detect ion systems and the Alcolizer breath analysis equipment. All these technicians are required to comply with strict policies and procedures, which have been developed in accordance with the highest requirements of Australian Standard 4760 for oral fluid drug testing.

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Presence of Tricyclic Antidepressant (TCA) in more quantity provokes individuals to commit suicide. TCA has much impact on normal person than a depressed individual. TCA causes sleepiness, difficulty in concentration and thinking and unsteady gait in body. The Tricyclic drug test helps to find out the TCA levels in the system i.e. to fish out people who have suicidal tendency.

For whom this test is useful?
Trycyclic drug test is helpful in various situations and places in identifying the victims of the Tricyclic Antidepressant drug and helping them before anything miserable happens.

Employers:
You can make tricyclic drug test as a part of your recruitment process, which will help you in identifying candidates with high TCA levels. This test can be administered on the existing employees also to find out individuals with suicidal tendencies in your organization.

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Swab drug test is conducted to check for the drug abuse or the presence of alcohol in a sample. It is very easy to perform and it gives out accurate results almost at any place. It is so accurate that it reduces the risk of repeating the test. This test is just a single step process, which is very simple and any one can perform this test at any place according to the convenience.

• Prior to the test:
One has to be very carefull in conducting the swap drug test. In order to attain the accurate test result, the person who is about to undergo test is advised not to eat, smoke or drink for at least 10 minutes before performing the test. If the donor has had something, he has to wait for 10 minutes to give the sample for the test for accurate results.

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According to the study of “Teen drug use and attitudes”, it confirms that Generation Rx has arrived, as an alarming number of today’s teenagers are more likely to have abused Rx and OTC medications than a variety of illegal drugs like Ecstasy, Cocaine, Crack and Meth.

There is dramatic increase in the teenagers who are abusing prescribed drugs. This is Drug Misuse. Drug misuse means, use of any drug (legal or illegal) for a medical or recreational purpose when other alternatives are available, practical or warranted, or when drug use endangers either the user or others with whom he or she may interact.

Nearly one in five teens (19 percent or 4.5 million) report abusing prescription medications to get high and one in 10 (10 percent or 2.4 million) report abusing cough medicine to get high.

Based on the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) survey:

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The Department Of Transportation (DOT) has issued new rules for drug and alcohol testing, for all the transportation employers and safety-sensitive transportation employees. This new regulation was designed to prevent accidents and property damage that are caused by the misuse of drug and alcohol by the drivers. DOT has provided certain rules on how to conduct these tests, what is the process of testing and who to conduct these tests. These rules cover the employees of State and Local government who are required to have a Commercial driving License (CDL).

Education and Training of Drug Testing

Every company has to provide the educational materials for their drivers, which explains the requirements and policies for testing drug and alcohol ingestion regulations. According to the Sec.382.601 (b), the educational materials should include the following discussions.

· Personal identity of the drivers designated by the employer to answer the questions regarding the material.

· Requirements of the drivers, subject to the misuse of alcohol and controlled substance requirements.

· Explanation of safety-sensitive function to understand the period of workday that is required for the drivers to be in compliance.

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Drug abuse, involves the excessive and repeated use of a substance to escape reality to produce pleasure despite its destructive effects. The substances abused can be illegal drugs such as opium, cocaine, marijuana and their derivatives or legal substances used improperly, such as prescription drugs and inhalants like nail polish or gasoline.

Drug addiction can be physical, psychological, or both. Physical dependence refers to the physiological effects of drug use. On the other hand, using a drug to numb unpleasant feelings, to relax, or to satisfy cravings are examples of psychological addiction. Physical addiction is characterized by ‘tolerance’ – the need for increasingly larger doses in order to achieve the initial effect and withdrawal symptoms when the user stops.

Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse: -

The more drug use begins to affect and control a person’s life, the more likely it is that he or she has a drug problem. Drug abusers often try to conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem. However, there are a number of warning signs you can look for:

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Drug abuse, involves the excessive and repeated use of a substance to escape reality to produce pleasure despite its destructive effects. The substances abused can be illegal drugs such as opium, cocaine, marijuana and their derivatives or legal substances used improperly, such as prescription drugs and inhalants like nail polish or gasoline.

Drug abuse by employees cause many expensive problems for businesses ranging from absenteeism, lost productivity, accidents, and an increase in the health insurance claims.

A survey by the federal government showed full-time employees who admitted to being current illicit drug users tend to be: between the ages of 18 and 25, less educated, male, divorced or never married, white and low paid employees. The industries with highest rates of illicit drug use are food preparation workers, waiters, waitresses, and bartenders, construction workers and the workers in transportation and material moving.

The loss to companies in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees’ totals $100 billion a year, according to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information. There are many impacts due to drug in workplace.

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THC (Tetrahydrocannibinol) is an active component in marijuana, which is commonly ingested by smoking and can also be eaten. It is the drug which is commonly a choice of teenagers and young adults. Low concentrations of THC persist in urine at a detectable concentration for many days after smoking. It is a common recreational drug of abuse. It is a hallucinogenic agent derived from the leaves, flowers or seeds of the hemp plant. Usually, the production and curing of the marijuana plant into its useable form closely resembles that of tobacco.

What is THC?

THC is an abbreviation for Tetrahydrocannibinol, which is the substance found in marijuana. As the active ingredient in cannabis, THC is what causes the pleasurable sensations those who take marijuana describe.

Signs of THC Marijuana Abuse and Addiction

A person who is high on marijuana exhibits tell-tale symptoms like, loud talking and laughter, sleepiness, distorted sense of time intervals and forgetfulness. Marijuana addicts are often focused on the drug at all times. Its warning signs include dependence, uncontrollable urge to use the drug, and mental fixation on the drug despite all the consequences associated with it.

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There is a wide range of drugs that are abused by the people for non-therapeutic effects and there are different testing kits that are used to detect the presence of these drugs. The drug addictive effectiveness differs from the drug ingested from person to person.

Common Drugs That Are Detected Through Drug Testing

The following are some of the common drugs that are abused by the individuals, which can be detected with different testing devices.

· Amphetamines (AMP): This is a schedule II forbidden drug used according to the prescription, which is also accessible in the illicit market. These drugs are the stimulants that affect the brain and body rapidly. These are psychologically addictive and if the addicted person stops using them will face various problems like, assault, anger and anxiety. Usually this drug effects for 24 hours and will exist in the body for 2 to 6 days.

· Barbiturates (BAR): These drugs are central nervous system depressants that are used to heal the tranquilizers, mesmerizing and anticonvulsants. Its effects are similar to that of alcohol intoxication effects. The detection period of Barbiturates is about 3-8 days. Continuous abuse of barbiturate can lead to clinically considerable level of tolerance and physical dependence.

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