Frequently Asked Questions
Substance Abuse |
Drug Tests |
Drugs In the Workplace |
DNA Tests |
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Substance Abuse Prevention
- It's never too early to share how you feel about drugs and what your expectations are in terms of zero tolerance of drug use by your children. A study showed that 74% of 4th graders wished their parents would speak with them about drugs.
- Every family situation is different. Some children are experimenting with drugs as young as 8 and 9 years old. We suggest that a program of random drug testing is implemented by the age of 12.
- First of all, stay calm. You are in control and now have the proof that your child is using drugs. Our program manual teaches you how to respond to a positive test. We're with you every step of the way. Should your child need counseling or treatment, we have the resources to help you take the next steps.
- Some children may refuse to comply with taking a drug test. We address this issue in our program manual. As a last resort, we do offer parents a method to test their child without the child's knowledge.
- Each panel shows the positive or negative result for a particular drug or drug category. So you know at a glance which drug you have tested positive for if there is one red line on the test strip.
- Be on the look out for warning signs such as:
- Skipping school, a drop in grades, and changes in friends
- Changes in appearance, mood, behavior, or motivation
- Missing money, valuables, liquor or beer
- Discovery of smoking paraphernalia (e.g., pipes, papers, small containers, baggies, or short sections of drinking straws)
- Frequent unexplained colds, nausea, or watery or red eyes
- In addition to several of the warning signs of abuse listed for Teens, be observant of the following signs:
- Inability to remember what he or she said or did while under the influence of drugs or drinking
- Avoiding family or close friends while drinking
- Fails to keep prommises
- Depression or anxiety
- We provide convenient and certified exams for Department of Transportation (DOT) testing for those in safety-sensitive positions. DOT drug tests are required in the following situations: pre-employment; reasonable suspicion/cause; random testing; return-to-duty testing; follow-up testing; and post-accident testing. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a DOT Drug Screen.
- There is no established optimum percentage of random tests that will ensure the most effective deterrence and detection program. Logically, a very small percentage (e.g., 5 percent) may not be sufficient to deter or detect someone abusing an illicit substance, while a very high percentage (e.g., 95 percent) might be much more than is needed to maintain an effective program. The Department of Transportation permits the percentage of random tests to vary depending on the positive rate. In some cases, an industry is permitted to test at a 10 percent random rate while another industry is required to test at a 50 percent rate. Please contact DOT at 202-366-3784 for additional information on its policy.
- Our FDA approved tests have the following SAMHSA industry-standard cutoff levels:
DRUG NAME SYMBOL Nanograms/ml Marijuana THC 50 ng/ml Cocaine COC 300 ng/ml Phencyclidine PCP 25 ng/ml Opiates OPI 2000 ng/ml Morphine MOP 300 ng/ml Amphetamines AMP 1000ng/ml Methamphetamines mAMP 1000 ng/ml Barbiturates BAR 300 ng/ml Benzodiazepines BZO 300 ng/ml Methadone MTD 300 ng/ml Tricyclic Antidepressants TCA 30 ng/ml Buprenorphine BUP 10ng/ml Ecstacy MDMA 500ng/ml Propoxyphene PPX 300ng/ml Oxycodone OXY 100ng/ml - Drug detection times, or the amount of time the drug remains in the body, could vary from drug to drug.
DRUG CATEGORY DRUG DETECTION TIMES (DAYS) Amphetamines (AMP) 2-6 Days Barbituates (BAR) 3-8 Days Benzodiazepines (BZO) 2-14 Days Cocaine (COC) 2-5 Days Marijuana (THC) 14-30 Days Metamphetamines (mAMP) 2-6 Days Methadone (MTD) 2-8 Days Opiates (OPI & MOP) 2- 5 Days Oxycodone (OXY) 2-5 Days Phencyclidine (PCP) 3-8 Days Tricyclics (TCA) 10 Days Propoxyphene (PPX) 2-3 Days Buprenorphine (Suboxone) (BUP) 48 To 72 Hours Ecstacy (MDMA) 5 To 7 Days - No - because our rapid drug tests react to drugs and drug metabolites, not to these substances which have a different chemical structure.
- Saliva, urine and blood only show up a positive or negative result, not how long ago a drug has been taken.
- No, it cannot. Each drug needs a specific test. We do offer multi-drug tests – up to 10 drugs can be tested at a time.
- Yes, it is. All it takes is a few minutes with our rapid drug testing products.
- A rapid drug test is a diagnostic test that very quickly gives you the results that show whether or not you have the presence of a specific drug in your body.
- You can use a rapid drug test to ensure privacy. This is very useful in a variety of situations – at home, school, place of work, pre-employment, after accidents, random testing for drugs, etc.
- Our tests can be used to determine the presence of the following drugs of abuse:
- Amphetamines (AMP)
- Barbiturates (BAR)
- Benzodiazepines (BZO)
- Buprenorphine(BUP)
- Cocaine (COC)
- Ecstacy (MDMA)
- Marijuana (THC)
- Methamphetamines (mAMP)
- Methadone (MTD)
- Morphine (MOP)
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
- Propoxyphene (PPX)
- Opiates (OPI)
- Oxycodone (OXY)
- Trycyclic Antidepressants (TCA)
- Rapid drug tests detect the presence of drug metabolites in saliva or urine in minutes. When a detection strip is wetted with a saliva or urine specimen, the specimen reacts with the reagents and antigens on the strip and produces a color reading so you can interpret a positive or negative result.
- The Dip Card is dipped into a urine specimen to obtain results. A cup is a convenient method of testing where the specimen is collected in the cup and tested there as well. There is no handling of the specimen.
- Our products are reliable. Our tests are United States FDA-cleared (unless stated otherwise). Laboratory testing has revealed that they are over 95% accurate. However, it is always advisable to get results confirmed by a laboratory.
- Confirm that it is indeed positive through a laboratory test.
- DNA paternity testing is very accurate and yields results that indicate a probability of paternity greater than 99% (inclusion) or 0% (exclusion).
- For paternity and maternity tests, we will provide a detailed and comprehensive report within 5-7 business days after our lab partner receives the DNA samples.
- DNA paternity and maternity testing results are often required or are useful in the following siutations:
- Obtaining child support
- Gaining visitation rights or child custody
- Providing family relationships for immigration cases
- Having peace of mind from knowing the true father or mother
- Establishing eligibility for Social Security or military benefits
- Protecting one's estate from illegitimate claims
- Providing Native American ancestry for tribal rights
- Confirming biological relationship between an adoptive child and birth parents or other possible relations
- Resolving adoption disputes
Drugs in the Workplace
Drug Tests
DNA Paternity / Maternity Testing