Last updated : December 16, 2024
While mobile drug testing is becoming more popular among employers, half-truths continue to surround drug testing for illegal substances. For businesses seeking to improve staff efficiency and performance through drug screening, it’s important to know about the vast amount of misinformation surrounding drug testing. Many employees may attempt to cheat drug testing in a variety of ways. Take a few moments to educate yourself about the false ideas circulating around drug tests along with how employees may try to beat them.
- Drinking Tons of Water Dilutes the System
It’s a long held belief by many that drinking an enormous amount of water prior to taking a urine screening will flush out indicators of any drug in the system. The problem with attempting to dilute signs of a drug in the body is that it drastically lowers creatinine levels. Today, most urine tests look for low creatinine levels and those who analyze the urine sample will notice. Obscuring results by drinking excessive amounts of water could be considered tampering and will likely cause employers to perform the test again, possibly through hair follicles or another alternative to urine screening. There is such a thing as a “positive dilute” drug test, so all the water does is dilute the urine, not remove the substance that may be present.
- Enough Exercise Cleanses the Body
Since THC from marijuana is known to be stored in the fat cells of the body, many believe they can burn off extra fat weeks before the test in order to pass. This approach is not only unrealistic but also virtually impossible. It would likely take months for an individual to burn off the fat needed to remove signs of THC from the body. Even then, traces of the drug may still be detectable. THC can be detectable on a urine drug test up to thirty days – ninety on a hair test. Since the THC binds to the fat cells AND today’s marijuana can be very strong, it can be detectable for quite some time, even for occasional smokers.
- Using Diuretics
Similar to the idea of drinking lots of water, diuretics like coffee, tea or juice are thought to flush indications of drug use from the body. While this may work to minimize some signs of drug use, missing proteins and other common particles found in urine will not be present. This, too, will look like tampering and probably require another more extensive drug test.
- Second-Hand Marijuana Smoke Will Be Detected
Inhaling a small amount of second-hand marijuana smoke will not cause a person to fail a drug test. Whether the test is done with urine, hair or blood, meeting a certain THC threshold is required to fail. Passively inhaling smoke at a party or get together will not cause an individual to fail a drug test. Being aware of this is important for managers especially. If an employee attempts to give the excuse of second-hand marijuana inhalation as a reason for failing a test, you will know better than to accept that reasoning.
- Detox Drinks Work
Relying on any form of detox drink to clean the body artificially will not ensure a negative drug test. Like with drinking excess water, creatinine levels will be noticeably low in the sample, typically warranting another test. Some individuals will attempt to take on a high fiber diet working under the assumption that increased bowel movements will decrease fat reserves, thus removing THC from the body. However, weight loss for any person takes time and will not produce results fast enough to pass an upcoming drug test. Detox drinks or masking agents may also interfere with the lab analysis process, causing the test to be cancelled and another test performed.
The only way to be certain about passing a drug test is to be drug-free altogether. If you would like to foster a positive, drug-free work environment, mobile drug testing is an excellent solution, particularly instituting a random drug testing program where the testing is a surprise. All the testing equipment is brought directly to your place of business to reduce costs and allow workers to return to their jobs more quickly.
