One of the biggest problems that are affecting the world we live today is the high number of individuals that are addicted to alcohol and drugs.
At the same time, the number increases as time goes by and that could affect people that are around us, productivity at working places, causes safety issues and kills young individuals that are doing everything to maintain the addiction.
Testing is mandatory for determining whether someone is an addict or not. However, everyone can pass a drug test using information online, and that is something that creates havoc for both employers and parents.
Are Drugs Creating Problem to Society?
The debates are all around us in which we should legalize specific drugs so that we can control the usage and reduce the possibility of younglings to consume them on the black market. The cannabis is almost federally legal, and that is a fact you have to remember.
Even though marijuana can help you handle specific disorders and diseases when these substances fall into the wrong hands, the abuse may happen, and that will lead to severe issues along the way.
Of course, no one has died from cannabis consumption, but when you start overdoing it, that may affect your everyday life and reduce the motivation and other things that may help you along the way.
The problem lies in the idea that that prescription drugs became popular as well, and doctors are prescribing them for numerous conditions.
These medications can also lead to severe addictiveness, withdrawal symptoms, and in some cases, people start to consume illegal drugs because they cannot find legal alternatives that they are used to.
Workplace Drug Testing
According to federal laws, most states will enable to employers the ability to test their employees and job applicants, but they have to follow specific guidelines and procedures that will reduce the possibility of affecting privacy, create inaccurate sampling and prevent discrimination.
Both employees and job applicants need to know:
- They have to be aware of the idea that they have to undergo a drug test before they are hired or before promotion.
- The employer has to test everyone by using the same procedure and method.
- The employer can decline the job applicant that failed a drug screening.
- Every single test must be conducted in CLIA (check their official website: https://www.cdc.gov/clia/law-regulations.html) certified laboratory.
If you wish to test current employees, you should remember that you have to focus on individuals that are under reasonable suspicion that their productivity was affected by current or past intoxication.
Employers can conduct these tests in cases of workplace injury or accident, only in a situation in which they believe that drug consumption leads to a problem and havoc.
Reasons Why Blood Testing Is Not Popular and Common
The procedure of blood testing is standard for most people because it involves extracting blood from a vein with an idea to detect the consumption of drugs that may affect productivity and cause other issues as well.
When compared with other screening types, you should have in mind that blood screening could detect the active compound of drug that you consumed, unlike other tests that may detect only byproducts and metabolites.
At the same time, blood testing features a short detection period, so for some drugs, you will not be able to detect them after a few hours of consumption. When compared with other types, it is one of the most accurate types of test in case you do it within the detection window.
In case that test is positive, you will not be able to challenge the accuracy because the results are showing everything you have inside your bloodstream. Administrators will detect the presence of any substance almost instantly, but it is not common due to these reasons:
- It is invasive which may affect the convenience of your employees and job applicants
- It is one of the most expensive types of screening. We have mentioned above that urinalysis is the least costly, which is the main reason for its popularity.
- It requires trained administrators as well as specialized equipment to handle everything safely.
- Labs require a few days so that you can get the result, which is not the case with other methods.
When Should You Conduct Blood Testing?
When it comes to this particular type of drug screening, you should have in mind that in specific situations, it is mandatory:
- Insurance companies tend to require this particular testing method in the case you apply for some liability in case of injury or to get an insurance policy.
- An employer can also require you to submit a drug test before hiring process or promotion.
- Court cases require blood drug tests so that they can prove whether you were under the influence in some specific situation, especially if that accident caused severe injury or fatality.
- Blood tests are standard at accident sites in case that you were involved in driving under influence vehicular accident. By doing so, you can detect whether someone was under the influence while he was driving or not, which is vital for further case.
Why Is Blood Testing The Most Accurate Form?
When it comes to other drug tests, you should have in mind that drug users have found ways to eradicate active substances and metabolites from the inside so that they can pass everything on short notice.
Since the most common test is urinalysis, you should have in mind that there are numerous ways to pass it by adulterine the sample, using detoxification kits that will help you remove the compounds or mask it or dilute the urine and pray for the best.
On the other hand, blood testing requires professionals to be next to you and to take blood specimen from your vein, which means that you will not be able to tamper with the sample or do anything that will help you along the way.
You cannot use substances that will help you mask the drug content, which is another proof for its accuracy.