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There are several ways by which drug abuse tests are done

Of the different types of drug testing, random drug testing is considered the most effective. Many private corporations and government agencies use it as part of their pre-employment requirements. Drug rehabilitation centers, correctional institutions, the police, and the military also employ this type of testing.

Schools drug testing

Some schools have been mandated to perform random drug testing on both their employees and students. However, there are those who criticize random drug testing, saying it’s a violation of privacy. An example critics give is when an employee, during working hours, is subjected to the test when he’s not even intoxicated. The presumption of guilt involved here is what they are most concerned about. Deterrence of drug abuse, more than anything else, is the objective of any substance use testing. As there are different types of drug testing, so are there different methods. Two of the several drug abuse tests are the saliva drug test and the sweat test.

Saliva drug screen

This drug abuse test, which is also called oral fluid-based drug screen, is employed to detect the use of a substance during the past few days. Because of its convenience, the saliva screen is turning out to be the most frequently used. Besides, the results from this test are painful to corrupt. Also, this test makes possible the smooth implementation of random drug testing in places of work (private or government corporations), sports agencies or associations, hospitals, and schools. Saliva drug screen can detect any of the CNS stimulants (cocaine or crack), opiates (morphine or heroin), benzodiazepines (diazepam or flurazepam), methamphetamines (ice or speed), amphetamines, or phencyclidines from the time of use up to three days. It can detect cannabis, such as marijuana or hashish, one hour after use up to twenty-four hours.

Sweat drug screen

In this drug abuse test, patches are attached to the skin to collect sweat over a period of about two weeks. The pieces are designed with security features to detect surreptitious removal and re-attachment. The patches are sent to a laboratory for analysis immediately after the test period. If the individual has used any drug during the test period, the pieces will test positive for that.

The sweat drug screen

Is almost exclusively used by agencies or institutions concerned with the use of drugs over long periods (drug abuse or addiction), mainly when it’s impractical to use urine drug screen (another method of drug abuse testing). Child protective services and such other government agencies or departments are examples of these.