Drug Testing at Home Pros and Cons

Home drug testing kits are getting more accessible and popular because they allow you to test the desired person by themselves. Some places across the world have even started offering parents in need take-home drug kits, not to report the results, but just to offer people a much easier way to detect if the person is using drugs.

In the last couple of years, they made a wide variety of home drug testing kits available for anyone. There are three test tips and require urine samples, saliva or hair. Things like cocaine, narcotics, amphetamines and marijuana can be discovered by most of these at-home kits, while other things might be harder to monitor. 

But, there is no test will find the presence of every possible drug in the person's system. An additional advantage of at-home drug testing is that it costs much less to purchase than standard drug testing that is done in a lab.

Urine Testing

Nowadays, urine is one of the most frequently used drug specimens because of our knowledge, the testing cost, and because it has a wide range of drugs for admittance on test panels.

The main problem when it comes to urine testing is that it is very easy to cheat with, particularly when the person is in an unmonitored situation.

Pros of urine testing

The urine test is really inexpensive and it has a proven track record. It can detect recent drug abuse up to 72 hours after the drug intake. Urine tests like the ones from 
Oz Drug Testing, are approved for federal testing. They are suitable for many types of testing reasons like, random testing, post accidents or follow up testing.

Cons of urine testing

The only bad thing when it comes to urine testing is that is easily tampered with. There are many things a person can do to the specimen to get a negative result. You can place something in the sample so that the drug won't get detected, you can dilute it by drinking a lot of water in a short period of time and most common and easiest of all trick is swapping out the urine for somebody else's sample. Also, it can't measure how frequently or how much of the drug is or was used.

Saliva Testing

Saliva drug tests are collected and the person is under supervision which makes tampering with the test pretty much impossible.

Saliva is a perfect specimen type for work locations or associations who have physical contact with their applicants and employees. 

Pros of saliva testing

This is also an inexpensive option, and it is very easy to find. Saliva drug tests can detect drug abuse for up to 48 hours. It is an inexpensive option, and you can monitor the person who is being tested so there is no way of tampering with the specimen. Saliva testing is as accurate as the urine test is.

Cons of saliva testing

Unfortunately, it does not detect drug use after 48hours. It can not show how frequently the drug is used. Saliva testing is not approved for federal testing yet.

Hair Strand Testing

Hair testing can be good for occasions where drug testing is scheduled because it has a long detection period. A person with substance abuse problems can choose to give up drug use for a few days is they are facing a scheduled a saliva or urine drug test in order to hide the detection of drugs in their body.

Pros of hair strand testing

Hair testing has a very long detection window of up to 90 days after drug abuse. It has a higher rate of positive results and it is the best way of testing for cocaine users. Also, it can reveal a pattern of previous drug use. It is the hardest one to tamper with. Hair strand tests are the best for pre-employment or return to duty testing.

Cons of hair strand testing

It is the most expensive at home drug test you can choose. Hair strand tests take up to 5 to 10 days to develop. They are known for giving poor results it the person has done sporadic use of drugs, especially marijuana. It can be a challenge if the person is bald or does not have body hair. Hair testing is not approved for federal testing. 

If you are thinking about purchasing a home drug test for analytical purposes, because you probably have noticed a shift in a person's behaviour or their attitude, and you think it can be because of drug use. You want to use the test them to find out if your feeling is correct.

Even those who support the idea of the use of drug tests at schools and home give out a warning that it is very important to follow up the testing with a complete evaluation and treatment plan.

Find a provider that is able to offer personalised solutions, not a one-size-fits-all kit. You have to make sure the provider has a wide range of drug test types and testing panels for different types of drugs.