Home drug testing kits are one way to give your child an excuse to say no.

This method of drug testing is used in the privacy of your own home, at any time the parent feels necessary. By simply having  a home drug testing kit in the house can prevent drug use from happening, or simply assure you that your child is not abusing drugs. While some teenagers might feel this is an extreme measure, you the parent know it is out of love. If explained honestly to your child the risks of drug use and the dangers that it presents, they will come to understand. Keeping an open dialog with your child is key to recognizing peer pressure when it happens. And studies show- it will happen.

When testing teenagers three types of tests are used. The standard drug test, an alcohol test and also a tobacco test. This gives you a broad range of substances that they are pressured into. These days’ teens believe that putting illegal drugs into their bodies has no consequences. Given the statistics these are the real consequences;

• The United States spends more than $58 billion a year for underage drinking costs
• Teens who abuse alcohol have a 50% greater chance of consuming cocaine.
• Alcohol kills over more than 6 times underage drinkers than all illegal drugs do (usually through serious accidents)
• 60% of students say they know about drugs that are kept, used or sold at their school.
• In the past 30 days, 50% of teenagers have been drinking, with 32% being drunk.

Teenagers also find themselves in trouble with the law, due to the effects of drug use. Teen arrestees’ regularly test positive for drug use with  The National Institute of Justices Arrestee and Drug Monitoring System finding that 66% of underage male arrestees tested positive for marijuana.

If you have or know any child that is struggling with drug and/or substance abuse please get them the help they need in order to help turn their life around. It is this type of caring that can put an end to teenager experimentation that can lead to a life of addiction, an accident, rehab, jail or worse.

On average it takes between 2-3 days for the human body to breakdown and rid itself of opiates once they are ingested; meaning a person can only show positive on a urine drug test if they used in the last 72 hours give or take (the true time of how long opiates will stay in your body depend on a large list of individualized factors). The detox time or the length of time it takes Opiates to be expelled from your system is faster since they tend to be water soluble, in contrast to the fat soluble THC which can leave traces in your urine up to 30 days since last use. Opiates are classified as drugs that are derived from (or based on) the resin excreted by the Opium poppy; which includes Morphine, Opium, and Heroin, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Percocet (NOTE: the last 3 substances will only appear in opi drug tests when high doses have been consumed. If you are concerned about Oxycontin abuse, please use an OXY drug test which will detect much lower metabolite concentrations in the urine stream.)

However what does OPI drug tests screen for? Opiate drug testing analyzes a person’s urine for a variety of Opiates and sometimes drugs that have “opiate-like” effects. Usually when a person is subjected to this form of testing they are looking for the big three listed above; Morphine, Opium, and Heroin. Unfortunately over the years the testing palette has expanded to include Oxycodin, Oxycodone, Paracetamol , Tylenol 3, Morcap, Codafen, and Roxanol. It’s important to remember that previously testing of “legal” drugs was unheard of, but with the rising number of people abusing prescription drugs employers aren’t taking any chances.

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).

Marijuana is usually consumed by smoking, eating, or ingesting. If any part of the resinous chemical that forms on the leaves of the female plant enters the body, it will test positive on a marijuana drug test. Worldwide it is the third most consumed drug next to Caffeine and Nicotine, and in America it is extremely popular among teens and young adults while still maintaining a significant popularity among the baby boomer population. However even with use of the drug high, negative perception and its illegal status make it a common substance for complete drug testing kits. Unlike Opiates and Amphetamines, Marijuana use can be detected long after it has been consumed; usually two weeks for the average person but a month or more for a heavy user. This is due to the fact that THC is a fat soluble, as opposed to water soluble, chemical. In order to break it down and rid itself of the chemical the body must also break down the fat cells that contain it.

THC drug testing comes in many different forms. There are expensive blood laboratory services but most home drug testing strips offer the same accurate results at a much cheaper price with a simple urine strip. Since marijuana is the most used illegal drug worldwide, there are also less invasive methods as well. Oral saliva drug tests are a cotton swab that the user places in their mouth for a few minutes which can be given on site in public. Hair follicle drug tests for marijuana are also available and can trace substance abuse back to the previous 90 days. Find the proper drug testing method that best suits your needs.

The main concept of school drug testing is to act as a deterrent—another valid reason for teens to resist peer pressure and not use drugs. It can also give teachers and parents some intel on a student who is using drugs and intervene appropriately.

Most schools who implement random drug testing use urine or saliva drug tests. These types of tests are the least intrusive and easy to use. Drug use can be identified in both tests for 3-5 days, depending on the type of drug.

Drug tests do not recognize alcohol use, which will only show up in a breath or blood test. This is a bit discouraging, since alcohol is by far the most-used drug among teens. But experts say most substance abusers use more than one drug, so it is entirely possible that a teen who tests positive for a narcotic may very well be drinking as well.

Some parents (or students) may question the constitutionality of drug testing in schools, but in many cases it is perfectly legal. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), schools can administer random drug tests to any students participating in competitive extracurricular activities. Before, only athletes could be tested. Now, even glee club members could be subjected to tests, providing they are competing. Despite recent court rulings, students and their lawyers continue to argue privacy issues, and the debate will no doubt linger on.

A national survey called “Monitoring the Future” offers an interesting snapshot of teen drug abuse. Surveys are conducted separately by grade level; students in grades eight, ten, and twelve are surveyed. The results are both good and bad, depending on the type of drug used.

Let’s start with the good news for parents. Last year, 21% of 8^th graders claimed to have tried an illicit drug at some point—that number more than doubles to 48% by 12^th grade. That means there is a four year window of opportunity for parents to make an impact by dissuading their children to use.

Also promising are the stats on cocaine. Over the past three years, cocaine use has dropped sharply in all three grade levels. Teens are smoking cigarettes less. Alcohol use also dropped slightly in all three areas, though it is still the most-consumed drug (more than 70% of all 10^th graders have tried alcohol).

Now for the not-so-good news. Overall, there has been a steady increase over the past three years of illicit drug use in all three grade levels. In fact, more than 45% of 12^th graders surveyed claimed to have tried drugs. So despite several years of anti-drug campaigns, teens have not been completely swayed.

Marijuana use is up two percentage points in all three grade levels. This may be because pop culture portrays the drug as not that dangerous, and there has been a lot of public awareness about medical marijuana.

Methamphetamine use is on the rise for older teens, particularly seniors who were surveyed. Perhaps the pressure of college tests and graduation makes this drug more appealing, despite its looming dangers. This may also be the reason for an increase in cough syrup consumption by seniors, since these types of medicines also work to keep you “alert”.

Though recent data pertaining to teen drug abuse is less than encouraging, it is important to point out that aggressive teen marketing campaigns have had come success. For example, the anti-cigarette (smelly, puking habit) will forever be remembered, and may have turned the pop-culture tide against smoking.  These types of campaigns are important, as is the continued involvement of parents in their teens’ lives.

There are dozens of drug tests on the market to check for cocaine, marijuana, and other illegal drugs—there are even home screening kits for alcohol drug tests. But many people may not know that similar nicotine drug testing can be done to identify cigarette and tobacco use.

Nicotine breaks down very quickly, which makes it difficult to spot in any tests. But when you smoke, the drug releases a byproduct called Continine. This metabolite is recognizable through a urine test, and can be spotted 2-4 days after tobacco use. As with any other drug, there are many factors that can contribute to the potency of the results, including cigarette puff size, how often you smoke, and the type of cigarettes used. Continine itself is not harmful, the nicotine and tar is what makes smoking dangerous. But it is an instant indicator of tobacco use. Continine drug testing is the industry standard when screening for nicotine and cigarette use.

Blood tests can also be used to test for Continine, though urine tests seem to be the most commonly used and easily accessible. Saliva tests do not work, since there are so many variables in your saliva that can alter the test results.

Though smoking may be a social faux pas, businesses have not yet jumped full-speed on the anti-smoking bandwagon. So if businesses aren’t buying these tests, why bother having them? Often, these tests are used by parents who are checking to see if their kids are smoking. Or in some cases a loved one made a promise to quit and tests are used as a way to show the smoker hasn’t fallen off the non-nicotine wagon. People may also need to be negative for nicotine drug tests in order to receive certain medical procedures. There are several uses outside the workplace for this type of nicotine drug testing.

In the 80s, most courts shot down mass school drug testing. In an unrelated but similar incident, firefighters in Tennessee won a case (called Lovvorn v. City of Chattanooga), in the late 80s that was ruled a violation of the 4^th Amendment if they were being drug tasted en masse without reasonable suspicion. Other similar cases that are of importance to note as well include: Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers v. Board of Ed., 119 A.D. (1986), where teachers won against drug testing, and Jones v. McKenzie, 628 F. Supp. 1500, (D.D.C. 1986), where school bus drivers won a similar suit that protected them from mass drug testing.

Today, while some private schools mandate that all submit to student drug testing as a method of rooting out bad students and problems, most public schools only drug test athletes. While only reasonable suspicion – as opposed to probable cause – is required to conduct random searches on students for drugs, unless they are an athlete and have signed some sort of waver of their rights, drug testing students at random is generally prohibited. If such cases were brought before the courts again, chances are in favor of them being shot down – as they were during the 80s – under the premises of civil liberties.

Source: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4935

Another interesting fact about youth drug addiction gleaned from the comprehensive drug survey is the disturbing lack of awareness that can hinder some parent’s efforts to keep their children drug free. The survey found that teenagers have been experimenting with or regularly using drugs for an average of two years before their parents take notice. This pattern only hammers home the importance of home drug testing programs, because as a parent, you can only fight drug abuse when you know it is occurring. Parent drug testing kits are the only tool which provides parent s with the knowledge they need to keep their children safe from drug addiction.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1521895/teen_drug_testing_curbs_rate_of_addiction_says_project_7th/

Prescription drug testing kits are specially designed to detect trace amounts of commonly abused pills such as Oxycontin Vicodin, Valium, Xanax and Percoset . If you suspect your children may be abusing prescription pills, you can utilize parent drug testing as a highly effective preventative measure. Making every effort to keep your children drug free is an essential part of parenthood, so it is crucial to take advantage of home drug testing to protect your family from prescription pill addiction.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/22/14932.html