Drug Test: Detecting A Drug User Through Urine Drug Screening
There are different kinds of tests that can be used to detect drug users. The most widely used one is that which involves analysis of a person's urine. This test is called urine drug screening.
Also sometimes called toxicological screening, urine drug screening is intended specifically as a means to test a person for drug abuse. Possible drug overdose (or drug poisoning) - whether intentional or accidental - can be evaluated by means of this drug test.
Other uses for urine drug screening are as follows:
* To determine the amount and type of drug (illicit or prescribed) a person used.
* To keep track of drug dependency.
* To determine the exact cause of drug poisoning.
* As a pre-employment requirement - to insure that a person is free of any illegal substance.
In general, urine drug screening is used to determine the presence of drugs of any kind in the body for medical and/or legal purposes.
This drug test can detect the general classes or types of drugs, especially those considered most commonly abused. These include the hallucinogens (LSD and such other substances that induce hallucination), opiates (heroin, morphine, and other narcotics), cannabis (marijuana and hashish), and the central nervous system (CNS) stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine, and crack) and depressants (barbiturates and tranquilizers).
The test, however, is incapable of marking the difference between prescription and illicit drugs within the same group or class. For example, a person taking prescribed tranquilizers to relieve his stress and another one using barbiturates would both manifest positive urine screening tests for CNS depressants.
Sometimes, a false-positive result can turn out. This means that a person who has taken only some over-the-counter drugs and submits to urine drug screening may be detected positive for either prescription or illegal drugs. In some cases too, a false-positive result may be due to some foods acting as interfering factors.
In performing urine drug screening, it is important to collect midstream urine sample. The person will be asked to stay in a room where it won't be possible for him to make chemical alteration of his own sample (as in diluting it with water) or substitute someone else's urine. The sample is then evaluated in the laboratory.
Another testing method that's more sensitive may be used to corroborate a positive urine drug screening result. The test called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is the most widely used for this purpose. This test is able to determine the specific compound present in the body.