What Is the Most Accurate Drug Test?
Whether you’re concerned about a potential employee, a child, a parolee, or a recovering addict, keeping someone on the straight and narrow is never easy.
Thankfully, today’s technology offers us far more tools than we had a few decades ago. Social media has a way of broadcasting people’s misdeeds, for example. In addition, drug tests are more available today than ever.
Of course, you want your test to be accurate, so how do you choose the best one? Here’s a look at your most accurate drug test options.
Types of Drug Tests
There are plenty of ways to find out if someone has used drugs based on various bodily fluids. These are the ones available:
Urine
Urine drug tests are the ones many of us are most familiar with. After all, they tend to be the least expensive.
They can detect most drugs that a person has used in the past seven days. In some cases, a drug can stay in a person’s urine for as long as 30 days.
Hair
Of all the types of drug tests, hair tests have the longest range. In other words, they can detect drug use from a longer time frame than the others. All the way up to four months.
For a hair drug test, you’ll clip off about 100 strands of the subject’s hair. You don’t need to pull them out by the root but clip close to the person’s scalp. Each strand needs to be at least an inch and a half long.
This test works by looking for remnants of drugs that have deposited in a person’s hair cells.
Sweat
It’s rare to see a sweat drug test, but it’s worth mentioning so you know all the options. In these tests, the subject wears a skin patch for several days.
During that time, the patch absorbs the subject’s sweat. If the person has used drugs, the sweat will contain particles from it.
Saliva
Saliva tests are more and more common for drug detection. You will have a swab that you’ll rub on the inside of the subject’s cheek.
After rubbing for a minute or two, you’ll have enough saliva. This saliva will show any remnants of the person’s drug use.
Blood
During a blood drug test, you’ll draw a small sample of blood. If the person has used drugs recently, those drugs will be present in their blood.
The Most Accurate Drug Test
And the winner of the most accurate drug test is…drum roll, please…blood tests. They may be more intrusive than other methods, but blood tests are well-regarded as accurate and comprehensive.
Hair tests and sweat tests can be particularly poor when it comes to accuracy. External contact with a drug or even the smoke from a drug can throw a false positive.
It’s worth noting that all the options above have high levels of accuracy. Still, if you want the most accurate option available, a blood test is the way to go.
Getting Answers
All the types of drug tests above have their pros and cons. If you’re going to the effort to get a test in the first place, though, accuracy is likely to be a key concern.
If you really want the most accurate drug test, it’s important to shop with a reputable business. To get answers, order your drug test today.
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