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What You Need to Know About Drug Testing in Schools

Detox Advisor — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:47:41 +0000

Drug testing is quite common when a person is applying for a job at a company that wishes to be known for having a drug free environment. If a person is arrested for a drug charge, it is common for drug testing to be part of a person’s punishment and/or probation. But what about drug testing in schools? Do you feel that this will keep your child safe? Will it help prevent your child from using drugs at all? Learn what you need to know about drug testing in schools so you can then make an informed decision regarding your child.

Drug use is universally a problem. Unfortunately, younger and younger children are using drugs. What can we blame for this increasing drug use in today’s times? We could blame television and movies, the glamorization of drugs. Perhaps we could throw a bit of blame toward the media and the celebrities whose pictures are splashed across headlines every time the word drug can be used. When it all boils down, the two main factors that may influence whether or not a child will experiment with drugs is prevention by his or her parents or guardians and peer pressure.

While it is true that a parent can not keep their eyes on a child at all times, it is also very true that a parent can use methods to be very well aware of their child’s whereabouts and activities. Even single mothers can know what their child is doing, with whom and when. It is when a parent lets down their guard and chooses the easier way out of “my child would never” there is not one child in this world that can fit into the category of “never”. There are too many determining circumstances. Too much can happen when a child is alone with their peers. No matter what has been said in talks to discourage drug use or what the child has been taught regarding negative effects here is always the “What if”. And this “what if” is where drug testing comes in.

What you need to know about drug testing in schools is that it is guided by very strict rules and regulations. This is not done to take away any freedoms. Most parents will agree that this is a great method to keep track of a child and to ensure that they are safe from drugs. Not only will your child be tested so that if testing positive, intervention can be done to keep your child away from using anymore; but also child that are abusing drugs can be given treatment options so that they are not tempting your child with drugs. The school becomes a safer environment, your child is safer, and any child who is using is given an opportunity to receive help. This is a win-win-win situation.

If you have any concerns about a false positive reading, rest assured. Most tests are done in four distinct steps and a second test is usually part of this method. A child is asked to offer a collection, this is usually done by a urine sample; a painless and common method. The container will be immediately sealed so to eliminate any mistake of mixing up containers. If a reading comes back positive, it is re-checked to be sure of the results. The second test is usually a more thorough and detailed test. Then, a doctor or nurse will review the results to be sure that there are no prescribed medications that could affect the result. Urine testing negative are eliminated and disposed of.

Student Drug Testing Information And Your Child

Detox Advisor — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:08:21 +0000

In this day and age, it is pretty clear that drugs are out there, and it is easy for kids to get a hold of some if they want it. The bad thing is that drugs are no longer just found out on the streets, they can be found in your local school systems as well. However, there are different schools that do yearly drug tests on the students of that school. This is a good way to help keep kids off of drugs, and also inform the parents if their child is on drugs of any kind. This is the first big step to help keep our kids drug free, and keep our school system free from drugs as well.

Kids are able to get their hands on drugs a lot easier today than they used to a long time ago. Because of this fact, we are starting to see drugs pop up in locations that it should not, like our local school systems. This should be one place where your child can go where they do not have to worry about being confronted with drugs, however, that is not the case anymore. The good news is that many different schools are taking the right steps to help discourage kids from using drugs. In fact, in many schools across the United States of America, yearly drug tests are given on untold days to randomly screen for drugs. Because drugs stay in the system for a long time, it is hard for students to just not take any drugs before the drug test, because they are never sure when it is going to be. Because of the fear of the drug testing, this helps keep many kids from trying drugs in the first place. That makes just one less thing they have to worry about.

Another thing that helps keep the kids from taking drugs is so that their parents do not find out. If any drugs are found in your system, the school contacts your parents and lets them know. Most parents would frown on their children taking drugs, and this is another step in helping keep your kids drug free. It is hard for parents to help stop their kids from taking drugs if they do not know they are taking any. Thus, this is a way that the schools are helping keep the parents in the loop of what is going on. This also helps the cops find out what kind of drugs are most popular in that city. All over the world there are different drugs that get used more often in one area, and less often in another area. If cops can find out what kind of drugs the kids are able to get their hands on the most, they know what kind of drugs they should be keeping their eye on.

Drug tests are being used by a lot of people nowadays. We use to only here about cops and businesses giving drug tests, but now these kinds of tests are popping up in schools. I know that it sounds like something that does not need to happen, but you would be blown away by the number of kids in school that say they have tried drugs. To help these kids grow up into young adults, we need to be able to help directed them away from the use of drugs. However, it is hard for cops and parents to be able to do that alone. Now with the school systems help, we are one step closer to weeding out the use of drugs in our school systems.

How Long Do Drugs Stay In The Body?

Detox Advisor — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:42:57 +0000

Drug Detection Times refer to the “window” of detection for drugs of abuse. If a person is tested too soon or too long after use, drugs may not show up in human urine. Often someone will ask us, How long to drugs stay in the body? This short guide will help to answer that question. For the purposes of clarity, this guide is a reference for the detection of drugs of abuse found in human urine.

How long do drugs stay in your system? The length of time that the presence of drugs of abuse in the body can be detected is an important factor in drug screening. The chart below outlines approximate duration times. When interpreting the duration for the presence of drugs of abuse in the body, you must take into consideration variables including the body’s metabolism, the subjects physical condition, overall body fluid balance, state of hydration and frequency of usage.

Drug Detection Times in urine are expressed below in terms of lower and upper boundaries. The amount of time that a drug/metabolite remains detectable in urine can vary, depending on the following factors:

Amount and Frequency of Use: Single, isolated, small doses are generally detectable at the lower boundary. Chronic and long-term use typically result in detection periods near or at the upper boundary.
Age: In general, human metabolism slows with age, resulting in longer drug detection periods.
Body Mass: In general, human metabolism slows with increased body mass, resulting in longer drug detection periods. In addition, THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and PCP are known to accumulate in fatty lipid tissue. Chronic users, physically inactive users, and individuals with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for THC and PCP.
Metabolic Rate: Individuals with slower body metabolism are prone to longer drug detection periods.
Drug Tolerance: Users typically metabolize a drug faster once a tolerance to the drug is established.
Overall Health: In general, human metabolism slows during periods of deteriorating health, resulting in longer drug detection periods.
Urine pH: Urine pH can impact drug detection periods. Typically, highly acidic urine results in shorter drug detection periods.
Note: In a small percentage of cases, users may test positive longer than times shown – most notably in cases of long-term chronic abuse, in individuals with significant body mass and/or body fat, and in individuals with health related issues resulting in abnormally slow body metabolism…

Drug Detection Times in Urine

Alcohol 24 hours or less
Amphetamines 1 to 4 days
Barbiturates Short-acting: 1 to 3 days

Long-acting: 1 to 3 weeks

Benzodiazepines Short-term Therapeutic Use: 1 to 3 days

Long-term / Chronic Use: 1 to 3 weeks

Cocaine 1 to 5 days
LSD 1 to 2 days
Marijuana (THC) Casual Use: 1 to 7 days

Long-Term / Chronic Use: 1 to 4 weeks Note: THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana, is stored by the body in fatty lipid tissue. From there, it is slowly released into the bloodstream for up to several weeks – depending on the amount and frequency of use and the user’s level of physical activity.

In chronic and physically inactive users, THC may accumulate in fatty tissues faster than it can be eliminated. This accumulation leads to longer detection periods for these individuals. Also, users with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for THC.

MDMA (Ecstasy) 1 to 4 days
Methadone 1 to 4 days
Methamphetamines 1 to 4 days
Opiates 1 to 5 days
PCP (Phencyclidine) Casual Use: 1 to 7 days

Long-Term / Chronic Use: 1 to 4 weeks Note: PCP is stored by the body in fatty lipid tissue. From there, it is slowly released into the bloodstream for up to several weeks – depending on the amount and frequency of use and the user’s level of physical activity. In chronic and physically inactive users, PCP may accumulate in fatty tissues faster than it can be eliminated. This accumulation leads to longer detection periods for these individuals. Also, users with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for PCP.

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Article Source: EzineArticles.com expert – Steve Sandlin