Drug testing is most commonly conducted in a testing laboratory. However, there are also a variety of home drug testing kits available, particularly on the Internet. Drug tests are usually fairly simple, although analyzing the results can be a bit more complicated. It takes a trained expert to accurately analyze such factors as the type of drug found in the system and whether anything else could have contributed to that substance being there.
Just as different drug addictions cause different reactions in the body and mind, and require different drug rehab treatment approaches, so it is with drug testing. Because each individual type of drug has different components, specialized tests are required to pick up on those. For instance, individual drug testing kits are sold to detect marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, etc.
Employees may be tested in their workplace, but more often will drive to the lab for drug testing. This is best because the test will be administered by qualified professionals, the samples will be handled with the utmost care and the risk of “cheating” and tampering with the samples will be greatly reduced. Typically, a company or non-profit organization will contract with a particular laboratory, sending all their employees to that location for random or regularly scheduled drug testing.
Random drug testing is best because the lack of advanced notice may prevent someone from ingesting a product that will skew the test results. There are a wide variety of these types of products available from less than reputable manufacturers. It is actually quite a profitable industry.
Internet web sites selling drug testing kits for use in the home can be tempting for parents or legal guardians who suspect a child in their home may be using drugs. The drug testing kits are affordable at only $10, and are custom-designed to detect a variety of drugs. However, these can be misleading because the kit the buyer thinks they need may not actually be accurate. For example, they may suspect marijuana use, so they buy the marijuana testing kit, when in reality the drug addiction in question is cocaine.
In analyzing the results, a parent may interpret a negative test to mean that their child is not using drugs. Filled with relief, the parent may not stop to think that the negative result could simply indicate that their child is not using the particular drug that kit was designed to test for. On the other side of the coin, a positive test result could be a false positive, triggered by other medication the child may be on, or a host of other contributing factors. The resulting accusations and discipline can do more harm than good, as the child is falsely suspected of doing something illegal and destructive. Parents who suspect their child is involved in drug abuse should first contact a doctor or counselor for advice. These professionals have handled such scenarios before, and will know how to proceed. Above all else, drug testing should be left to qualified professionals otherwise visit drug rehab center.
