How to beat a drug test

Published
Can you beat a drug test. Maybe the question is, should you try?

We’re often extolling the virtues of saliva drug testing over urine drug testing and one of the reasons is that it’s virtually impossible to cheat on a drug test using saliva. Now there’s news out of the United States that suggests that more people are trying to cheat on urine drug tests than ever before.

The report from ABC15 Arizona quotes a business owner in Kansas who has been providing drug tests for clients for the past 15 years. The owner of the business says there has been a rise in the number of people trying to beat a drug test this year.

He says that on most days, his business drug tests between 75 and 100 people; on average three people are being caught trying to cheat and beat the drug test.

“To me it’s a sign of desperation,” says the drug testing business owner in the article. “”The confrontation in the bathroom is normally a pretty straight-forward one, ‘Hey this isn’t your sample, so provide a legitimate sample, or go’”.

The ways that people try to beat a drug test is quite interesting, to say the least. They include diluting their urine, substituting their urine for someone else’s (presumably someone who hasn’t taken drugs!) and even altering their urine with a product. Some have even used products that promise to detox the body so that you can pass a drug test.

In many cases, the people being caught out trying to beat a drug test by the Arizona drug testing firm are being tested pre-employment, as pre-employment drug tests are very common in the United States, far more so than in Australia. So, it’s likely a person who tries to beat a drug test will simply not be employed. But in some cases, in the United States, the consequences can be greater.

While the ABC15 Arizona article states that trying to beat a drug test is not illegal at a federal level, there are some state laws that do prohibit it. So, potentially, a person who tries to beat a drug test could also be in violation of a state law.

As we’ve said in blogs before, if you think you might not pass a drug test, don’t try to cheat or beat the drug test, or refuse the drug test for that matter. You’re better off taking the drug test and hoping for the best. While a positive drug test, if you’re employed, can have a variety of consequences, dependant on your employer’s drugs and alcohol policy, refusing a drug test or trying to cheat can have greater consequences.

 

By Michael

Michael is the founder of Integrity Sampling and is responsible for overseeing all national operations. He is based at Integrity Sampling's head office in Melbourne and is also responsible for the co-ordination of drug and alcohol testing within Victoria, assisting in the implementation of drug and alcohol (fit for work) policies and the presentation of drug and alcohol education and awareness programs. You can connect with Michael Wheeldon on LinkedIn

Leave a comment