Imagine you are one of the 2.2% of Australians over the age of 14 who have used ecstasy in the past year. Now imagine you took an ecstasy pill or two last night, while enjoying a late session with your mates. Now imagine that you’ve been pulled up on the roads or in the workplace to undergo drug testing. What are the chances you’ll be okay?
Roadside drug testing and ecstasy
Australian states and territories do test for ecstasy, or more correctly ecstasy’s active ingredient called MDMA, during roadside drug testing. So if you’re stopped by a police officer and they suspect you may be under the influence of a drug and therefore carry out drug testing, you may be in trouble.
Workplace drug testing and ecstasy
Ecstasy is one of the drugs that Integrity Sampling looks for when conducting workplace drug testing. So if you rock up to work and are asked to undertake drug testing – either because someone suspects you may be under the influence or you’re unlikely enough to face random drug testing, again you may be in trouble.
How long does ecstasy stay in your system?
According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, ecstasy or MDMA can be detected for around 24 hours after use. This is just a guideline, however, as the actual detection period can be influenced by individual factors such as your sex, weight and health, as well as how much ecstasy you took and whether you also drank alcohol.
What’s the issue?
Now that we’ve ascertained that you may well fail drug testing within 24 hours of taking ecstasy, you may be wondering what the issue is. Why is it so important to detect someone who has taken ecstasy?
The issue with ecstasy, like other drugs, is its side effects. These can include jaw clenching and teeth grinding, excessive sweating, nausea, fast heart rate, dehydration, heat stroke, hallucinations, irrational behaviour, anxiety, paranoia, violence, vomiting, high body temperature and fitting. Clearly, these are not symptoms we want someone who is behind the wheel or at work to be experiencing.
Drug testing, whether on the roadside or at work, is in place to detect people who have taken ecstasy or another drug and are not safe to be driving or working. It’s not about fines or anything else… except safety!
