In order to receive a proper screening, the hair drug test requires at least 2 inches of body hair. Usually the hair follicles are clipped from the top of the head but in cases where a person is bald or has a shaved head, a licensed screen-er will still be able to take hair samples from other parts of the body (such as groin, underarm, leg, etc).

The great thing about hair drug testing is that it has the longest drug detection window of any drug screening service.  It can usually detect drug use for the previous 90 days. The main purpose and reason for this type of home drug test is that it can detect high or low level drug use over a long period of time.

Hair drug testing can detect all of the five illicit substance classes administered by the Federal Government.  These five drug types are: cocaine, marijuana, opiates (codeine, heroin) methamphetamine and phencyclidine (PCP).

Some companies chose to go with hair drug testing, instead of urine drug tests.  The urine drug test can be a bit embarrassing and uncomfortable to perform in front of other people. Privacy is a real issue with urine screening. This is not the case with hair drug testing.  All that is needed is a small clipping of your hair which is easier to collect and more sanitary to store than urine.

So does pregnancy impact drug testing? No, not really. Drug tests simply don’t work that way, hormones don’t influence the results and the test is usually noninvasive. Drug tests analyze the content of metabolites in a person’s urine. Metabolites are the byproducts left within the body after a drug in consumed and broken down with the body. Although hormones have altered many of the chemical levels within the body, this level(s) will remain largely unaffected. It has been feared that pregnancy and the drugs prescribed for the pain associated can deliver a “false positive” result however this is not true. The only way to have the key metabolites being tested within your body is to have ingested them at some point previous to the testing.

In addition the testing of oneself can be done so without any harm to the mother or the child. Most screening devices are done by analyzing the waste products of a person, like the urine or hair. The testing of these do not put the baby in harms way and do nothing to affect the ongoing pregnancy. Taking a few strands of hair follicles for a hair drug test has no effect on the child. However if one is using, or has issues with substance abuse, you are encouraged to detox and test yourself previous by visiting any hospital. By law the hospital staff can and will test any mother suspected of consuming drugs during pregnancy; if a positive result is attained for any reason problems will occur. Even minimal use and second hand smoke can be detected through this test which can lead to the involvement of child protective services and other law enforcement agencies if the unborn child is at risk.

Complete drug testing kits first require that a sample is taken from the waste processes of your body; meaning the hair, saliva, or most commonly the urine. From there researchers or test strips (depending upon your screening method) analyze the content of specific metabolites inside of it. Metabolites are the leftover chemical residue found in body after a drug is consumed and broken down. The majority of illicit substances are expelled in your waste but all drug leave behind certain particles which can be detected and used to determine past substance abuse. These particles can be examined to reveal exactly what drug was ingested and sometimes even when. Amphetamines take on a variety of forms including pills or powders, all of which are stimulants and highly dangerous. They have also been known to be added or combined with other drugs to enhance the experience such as Ecstasy.

So what happens if you test positive? Well unless it can be proven that the drug in question was obtained legally and for legitimate use the consequences can be dire. If prescribed Ritalin, Adderall or another form of ADD/ADHD remember that you will appear dirty for amphetamines so keep your prescription forms ready to show your testing administer.

Oxycodones, and other powerful pain medications similar to it, are the most abused prescription medications in the world. Why? They act on the opiate receptors in the brain giving the user a complete loss of pain and entering them into a blissful euphoria. Opiates are one of the most powerfully additive addictive drugs there is and the obtaining such powerful narcotics has never been easier thanks to pill mills and unscrupulous doctors. Undoubtedly you have heard of the more illegal versions, derivatives of the Opium poppy known as Heroin and Morphine. With so many of our nations young and old becoming addicted to this medication, Oxycodone drug testing has never been more readily available.

Testing is usually done by analyzing the urine of a suspected user and looking for certain “leftovers”, called metabolites. Expensive lab testing is available for blood analysis and hair drug tests are a great intermediary between urine screening and blood work. Once the drug is consumed these metabolites are what remain after the body breaks down and excretes the drug. Each substance has a certain metabolite and through analysis a drug test can determine whether or not a person has said metabolites in their body. Should a person test positive for this drug and not be able to provide evidence of a legal prescription consequences could be dire. Opiates and Oxycodone tend to leave detectable traces in urine for 1-3 days due to its water soluble nature. The bottom line is that OXY drug tests can detect high levels of opiates but is designed to screen specifically for certain opiates derived off Oxycodone (such as Percocet and Oxycontin).

Additionally, while many employers do mandate drug screenings prior to and during a term of employment, many also do not. And, drug screenings are not infallible, meaning that there are some unscrupulous methods that drug users take to defeat them. Lastly, some drugs – such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin – are only present in the system for so long. On that basis, if an employee is aware of the dates on which they will be subjected to a urine drug test – which most often is not something extensive and revealing, like a hair follicle drug test – they can better prepare to pass that test if they think that they might fail it.

So what are the costs of employee drug usage?

What is the impact of employee drug usage? It’s far greater than most people presume.

According to recent statistics, nearly 12-million people in the United States are currently using or abusing illicit substances, which can denote any kind of a drug. Far more are frequently using or abusing alcohol. Out of these 12-million persons, just over 9-million of them are employed at a job, either full time or part time. According to an expert study that was conducted as a Firestone Study, employees who are currently abusing or even using drugs are absent about five times more than employees who are not. Furthermore, the cost of employees using or abusing illegal drugs costs the United States nearly $250-billion annually due to the loss of productively.

It is important to note that these numbers lean greatly upon those who are abusing alcohol, which is a legal substance. About 60% of these productivity numbers actually stem from alcohol abuse, and not illegal drug abuse. Luckily there is even alcohol drug testing you can do on-site the minute you suspect an employee is drinking alcohol at work. So when you break down the real numbers, nearly $100-billion dollars is lost every year in productivity at the workplace due to the abuse of illicit drugs. Some additional studies have also demonstrated that most people who are using these drugs use them for recreation, and are not considered to be addicts.

The ability to screen for several drugs at once, using a Multiple Substance Test, provides parents with a more complete look into their child’s behavior while greatly improving the chances that any drug abuse will be detected. Home drug test kits can be utilized in many forms, including the urinalysis drug test, the hair follicle drug test, and the saliva drug test. Each of these options provides different benefits, such as the 3 month testing scope of the hair follicle test and the ease of use provided by the saliva test. For concerned parents who want to do everything they can to keep their children drug free, home drug testing is the most powerful tool you have.

Methamphetamine drug testing kits are typically available in several forms, ranging from the single use urinalysis test kit to the comprehensive hair follicle test. Traces of methamphetamine will usually stay in the system for up to a week after use and can be detected by quality drug testing kits. Arming yourself with the methamphetamine testing kit is the first step towards preventing your children or employees from succumbing to the scourge of meth addiction.

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Parents and employers who are concerned about ecstasy use can relieve their doubts by using the ecstasy (MDMA) drug testing kit. This simple to use product can detect traces of MDMA up to 7 days after it was ingested. Ecstasy (MDMA) drug testing kits come in two forms: a single use urinalysis test and the long term hair follicle test. Each version is guaranteed to detect the presence of ecstasy up to one week after it was taken.

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The marijuana drug testing kit typically comes in two main types: a single use urinalysis drug test, and a long term hair follicle drug test. The benefits of the single THC drug test include ease of use and results which are returned quickly. The hair follicle test can test for other drugs along with marijuana, and can detect traces of marijuana use long after the subject has stopped abusing the drug. Either one of these marijuana drug test kits are great resources for parents who want to ensure that their children are protected from the dangers of marijuana abuse.

On the other hand, if an employer wants to examine his staff’s drug usage over a long period, perhaps for a quarterly review, he or she should choose the hair follicle test. Traces of drug use, even up to 2 months after the illicit substance was last used, can be detected by hair follicle testing. This is also a less intrusive option for large workforces, as it simply requires a few strands of hair to be plucked, rather than dealing with bodily fluids. Knowing which drug testing option you may need for certain circumstances is essential for any conscientious employer.