Last updated : November 18, 2024
People who use drugs get desperate when faced with taking a drug test. That’s because they fear being found out and suffering the consequences of testing positive. Some try to obtain a false negative by using homemade concoctions or purchasing detox products. Some try using synthetic urine as an option.
The trucking industry took steps to protect the public and its drivers by applying fines for anyone caught submitting synthetic urine for a drug test specimen. It also pressures truck stops to keep synthetic urine off the shelves. Moreover, the industry is anticipating the DOT announcing that, finally, SAMHSA-approved laboratories can begin analyzing oral fluid drug tests.
Try as they might to cheat, the reality of the situation is that laboratory equipment has become very sophisticated. Someone may occasionally squeak through the cracks and obtain a false negative result, however, drug tests have technologically advanced as well. Combine these two facts with the knowledge and experience of dedicated laboratory technicians and it’s not hard to figure out that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
There is no other option
Even though it’s been approved by the DOT, until two laboratories become SAMHSA-certified to process oral fluid tests, employers can’t use them. The urine test remains the only approved DOT drug testing method for safety-sensitive employees.
Employees, whether safety-sensitive or part of the general workforce, who fear testing positive for drugs sometimes resort to tampering with or substituting the urine specimen. Manufacturers catering to this group of customers proclaim they have products that work and people seek them out.
Or if a drug-using employee’s habit has them running a little low on cash, they can find scads of “beat the test” remedies online. Homemade or manufactured and marketed as detox products, proclamations of acing the test. The “latest and greatest” product used to cheat is fake pee—otherwise known as synthetic urine.
It sells online and in actual stores, such as head shops and truck stops, for instance. These products are marketed under such names as “Monkey Whizz,” “Clean Stream,” and “UPass”—apparently, there is no need to be discreet. They range in price somewhere between just under $20 and up to $100 or more. Purchased in powder form, the chemicals, salts, and yellow coloring are mixed with water as needed.
Additionally, most synthetic urine has a temperature-sensing strip attached to the solution bottle. Some have a strap, too. That way the individual can hide the stuff away on their person until they reach the privacy of the testing facility’s bathroom. Keeping the substance close to the body helps keep it in the correct temperature range.
Things can still heat up though
The DOT has strict regulations for employers to follow when performing a drug test. For instance, the testing technician reads the specimen temperature as soon as it’s returned to them. There is a temperature strip located directly on the specimen bottle specifically for this purpose. The acceptable range in temperature is between 90 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Should the specimen be out of range, an immediate red flag is raised and the test is null and void.
The testing technician may be unaware of an individual’s attempt to submit synthetic urine in place of their own. However, the DOT requires that all drug tests be sent off to a SAMHSA-approved laboratory for analysis.
Laboratories that have gained approval from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) are the best of the best. Top-notch lab techs are trained to pay attention to how the specimen looks because color and clarity matter.
For instance, lots of people don’t realize that all urine contains little bits of sediment. If someone presents a crystal clear specimen, it immediately raises an eyebrow. It’s a reasonable cause for more in-depth testing. Failing to mix the powder exactly as instructed can cause problems for the drug user, too, of course.
States banning synthetic urine
To curb attempts to cheat on the company drug test using synthetic urine, at least nineteen states have banned its sale or distribution.
They are:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisianna
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
We can expect that other states will follow suit.
Keeping tabs
Drug abusers need to keep the paychecks coming to fund their habits. Therefore, they will keep trying to dupe their employers by obtaining a false negative on a drug test. Synthetic urine isn’t going to put the ball in the cheater’s court though. The drug testing industry will continue to advance technologically to weed them out.
