Drug Test Blog » DUI

Employment Drug Testing Laws

Detox Advisor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:53:18 +0000

Drugs are found all over the place now, and it’s easy for many people to get their hands on it. No longer are drugs just a problem on the streets, but they are being used where we live and work. Schools have started using drug testing just like the big businesses do before they hire you. Employment drug testing is something that many places do to make sure that you are coming into their work area clean and ready to work. However, they do not just do it when they hire you. Many of them do random drug testing throughout the year to be sure that you are staying clean and out of trouble.

There are different laws about employment drug testing, but the main thing to know is that businesses can ask that you do a drug test before they hire you. If you fail the drug test or refuse to take it, the companies have the option of not hiring you. Most of the time you hear about company drug testing being done whenever they go to hire you. This way they can see what kind of person you are before you enter into their work area. However, it soon became known that companies did this, and people started doing things to pass the drug test. Before they would go apply for a job they would stop using drugs for a little while. This way their system came up drug free, then after being hired they would go back to using again. However, this did not fool the big businesses for long, and they found another way to help keep the work area drug free.

Businesses no longer just do drug tests when they first hire you. In fact, many places do random drug testing throughout the year. This way if someone starts using drugs while they are working for the company, the company will know. These businesses also have the right to fire you if you are using drugs while working for them. This is why these random drug tests are given. Bringing drugs into the work place is no laughing matter. Wherever you work there could be kids that work their too. If some of the adults are using drugs it is easy for the kids to do it too, because their co-workers are doing it also. This is not the kind of area that we want our kids and other friends to be working in. The work place should be a place where you are safe and happy. Thanks to drug testing, companies aim to keep it that way.

Using drugs is no good for anyone, and it makes it hard to get a job if you are a user. This is just another reason why taking drugs can ruin your life. Staying drug free is something that is needed all over the world. However, this is something that has to be stop with the kids. We have to be able to keep kids drug free, and teach them that using drugs is bad. By doing this we can keep drugs, not only out of school, but out of the work place too. In a perfect word there would be no need for employment drug testing, however, this world is far from perfect. This is not something that is going to go away anytime soon. The best way to not worry about it, is to not take drugs. Keep your system clean, and you will never have to worry about random drug tests.

Drug Testing Laws

Detox Advisor — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:08:20 +0000

Drug testing laws have become a particular point of interest in recent months with increased celebrities’ bouts of trouble with the law bringing attention to the subject, But beyond the topic of shaved heads, DUIs, and rehab stints comes the question of legality. Are these tests legal and are they accurate? It might all depend on where you reside and what your circumstances are.

With more media attention than ever being drawn to ill-fated celebrities who have DUI mishaps and drug related issues, it might be interesting to know what all of the hype is concerning the drug testing laws. And yes, alcohol would fall under drug testing laws since in most states consent for a breath test must be given. What are drug testing laws, and how does a drug test work? Are drug tests reliable in detecting what they are supposed to detect? When are drug tests necessary?

Depending on the state, each one has its own version of what amount of alcohol can consider a person to be legally intoxicated, and of course personal variables like a person’s size can help make this even more difficult to determine. Drugs are something that are not so tangible: if they are in your system, you are intoxicated and in violation of the law. Drug tests of several different types can be used to determine your intoxication [or innocence] and then what happens from there is dependent upon the state.

For alcohol, most tests are administered via breath but a blood test is another possibility. For drugs, tests can be done that examine samples of blood, hair, urine, or skin. Depending upon what is being examined, such as hair, traces of drug residue may be present from months past. But what is the legality of these tests, and does one have to submit to taking one of them?

If it is a situation involving employment, operating a motor vehicle, or child custody, one can in most cases be legally forced to take a drug test. The grounds for this is that you are voluntarily seeking out a job, making a choice to operate a motor vehicle or other dangerous piece of equipment which could endanger the lives of others or yourself, or in the case of child custody, you are responsible for minor children and must prove to be fit to take care of them. These are all considered voluntary responsibilities and a drug test is proof that one is willing to undergo these obligations. Drug testing laws do have some loopholes, as do employment contracts, that may allow a person to legally escape having to take a drug test.

Under drug testing laws, an employer can have legal cause to fire or deny a promotion to someone who fails a drug test or refuses to submit to one, and a potential employer may refuse to hire someone who is not willing to submit to a drug test. Certain stipulations may be involved, such as operation of dangerous equipment, to make these laws valid, but the basic facts come down to an employer may ask for a drug test and though an employee or potential employee has the right to refuse, to do so means almost certain career death. You may not be guilty of anything, but you are certainly regarded as such if you refuse to submit to a test, though refusal is one’s right. It is controversial right now and will continue to be until more court cases set a precedent over what should be done.

THC Drug Tests

Detox Advisor — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:18:26 +0000

The chemical called THC produces a number of physiological changes. It can cause a drug user to develop a dry mouth. It can increase the heart rate of the person who has taken-in the THC. It can depress a person’s coordination, balance or reaction time. It can wipe out some of the person’s short term memory. Still, a THC drug test does not search for evidence of those physiological changes. A typical THC test uses existing assay techniques to detect the presence of THC in fluid from a test subject. Blood and urine are the two fluids that are most often tested.

The THC drug test looks for evidence of the chemical that scientists refer to as delta-9-tetra hydrocannabinol. Over time, THC works its way into all of the tissues in the body. The THC drug test can call for collection of urine, saliva, hair or blood. All four of those tissues have the ability to retain THC for a set period of time. All four of those tissues can be removed from the body without conducting a surgical procedure.

While marijuana contains many different chemicals, scientists point to THC as the mind-altering element in pot. THC can lower a person’s perception; it can affect his or her ability to maintain sound judgment. Employers look to the THC test as a way to limit the use of marijuana among their employees.

The amount of THC in a sample of marijuana reflects a number of different factors. The marijuana plant produces more THC under certain weather conditions, and when grown in specific types of soil. The time of harvest affects the amount of THC in the marijuana plant. Not every type of marijuana plant makes the same amount of THC. Not every plant part contains the same level of THC.

Sinsemilla, a popular type of marijuana, is made from the buds and flowering tops of the female marijuana plant. It has a THC content of 7.5%. The results of THC tests reveal marked changes in the THC level for other forms of marijuana. In 1974, most marijuana had a THC content of 1%. By 1994, that level had risen to 4%.

The THC test relies on the fact that THC is a fat soluble substance. When inhaled or ingested by the marijuana user, THC is stored in the body’s fat cells. As the body burns fat, the THC becomes released from the fat cells and enters the blood stream. Fat cells generally store THC for two days. Once filtered through the kidneys, THC shows-up in the urine. That takes place about three days after the drug user has enjoyed his or her marijuana-induced “high.”

The passage of blood through the kidneys does not remove all of the THC in the blood stream. The blood can retain THC for a period of two to four weeks. A THC test done using human blood is the most sensitive type of THC test.

Every THC test demands the use of immunoassay techniques. Test makers produce a teat kit that contains monoclonal antibodies. Those particular antibodies have an affinity for THC. The kit equipment thus picks-up THC in the blood or urine.

The test makers obtain antibody-producing cells from the spleen of a mouse, and fuse them with mylemoma cells. The test makers can thus produce a large amount of the desired monoclonal antibody. That monoclonal antibody then becomes an important element on the devices that are used to conduct a THC test.

One in 100 Drivers Found Taking Drugs

Detox Advisor — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:42:57 +0000

One in 100 of the drivers tested by Victoria Police’s world-first drug bus has returned a positive result for driving while under the influence of drugs, The Sunday Age believes.

This is 2 times the rate for drivers returning a positive result for driving while under the influence of alcohol when breath tested.

Police had planned to announce the staggering results for the drug bus last week, but delayed doing so because of the Bracks Government’s ministerial reshuffle, which saw Tim Holding elevated to the Police Minister’s portfolio and Andre Haermeyer relegated to Manufacturing, Export and Small Business.

The announcement, now expected to be made within days, is likely to show that more than one in every 100 drivers drug tested by police returned a positive result after laboratory analysis.

The yearly average strike rate for motorists caught drink-driving is about one in every 250 tested.

In one operation alone, targeting the Summerdayze dance festival on January 1, police sources said almost one in 10 drivers tested returned initial positive results.

Sources have told The Sunday Age that about 1500 motorists have already been tested under the drug-driving testing program, with more than 15 returning positive laboratory results.

In 2003, almost a third of drivers killed on Victoria’s roads had drugs other than alcohol in their system, and in a number of recent years, more people have been killed with drugs other than alcohol in their system than those killed with a blood-alcohol reading above .05.

Since the introduction of random roadside drug testing in Victoria on December 13, a number of drivers had already been issued with penalty notices for a first drug-driving offence.

If a driver returns a positive result from a roadside drug test, he or she is then taken to the police bus for a second test. A second positive result is then sent to a laboratory for testing, which can take up to 14 days. Only after a positive laboratory result is a driver prosecuted for a drug-driving offence…

Full Story at TheAge.com.au