Debunking Common Drug Testing Myths

It seems that as each day passes, a new myth is born about how a person can pass or fail a drug test. Not only are many of these myths completely untrue, but some of the more popular ones are actually dangerous. Obviously, the most effective way to pass a drug test is not to take drugs and the methods of cheating the system that are to follow are about as ridiculous as they come. From drinking an excessive amount of certain fluids to overdosing on over the counter medications, be wary of the many attempts that people will make to hide the fact that they are doing drugs.

Marijuana is the most common drug that people will try to cover up in a drug test, and due to the fact that THC attaches itself to fat cells, it is virtually impossible to disguise the presence of THC in a urine sample. A common myth is that drinking an excessive amount of water will help flush the THC out of a person’s system. In reality however, all that drinking a lot of water will do is dilute the test and allude to the fact that the person is trying to cheat the system. Vinegar and pickle juice yield the same result as water while dehydrating the person’s body in the process.

An extremely dangerous method of passing pre screening recently is to take an overdose of aspirin. Overdosing on aspirin will not help anyone pass a drug test and it can actually cause kidney and liver failure if the overdose is severe. Other myths have circulated that taking ibuprofen will result in a positive drug test result. The moral of the story is that over the counter pain medications don’t influence urine or saliva drug test in any way.

Finally, be very wary of the cleansing systems that are advertised on the internet. These systems are advertised to flush all of the toxins out of a person’s system and, as a result, clear the urine of all traces of drugs. However, THC metabolite stays in our fat cells and will continue to come out in our urine for anywhere between days to months. Cleansing systems may be very good for cleaning out our digestive tracts, but they are no way to pass a drug test.

Lastly, urine and saliva drug tests will pick up any trace of drug metabolite in a person’s system. However, to test positive for drugs, an individual must exceed a cutoff point that eliminates the possibility of having contact with a drug through a friend or family member. For this reason, common fears that coming in contact with marijuana smoke will cause a positive drug test result are unfounded.

If you have any more questions about the accuracy of drug testing or to find out more about CMM Technology’s drug testing products, please contact us at +618-9204-2500 or email us atinfo@cmm.com.au .

Alcohol Testing Australia, Drug Test, Urine Drug Test

In a case study by Dr. Holland, new drug and alcohol testing procedures in the mining industry were not disputed in the mining workplace, but an incomplete evaluation program certainly was. Since drug and alcohol use (as well as abuse) could be the result of a stressful workplace environment, if regular and randomized testing was to be implemented, the inherent need for stress-free surroundings at work required more than simply submitting samples for drug test.

However, stress at work can easily be caused by under-qualified and under trained individuals, coworkers and members of management. At CMM Technology™, in addition to our drug and alcohol testing training and courses, we offer courses in Life Support, Senior First Aid, Cert IV TAA, Manual Handling, Grader, Haul Truck, Chainsaw, Loader, Excavator, and many more.

Although compliance with alcohol testing helps to make the workplace more efficient, which in turn reduces stress, self education and edification, can contribute greatly to calm, steady, peaceful working environments. Both factors are important to achieve high efficiency and to retain high quality employees.

During any type of economic instability, it may seem that training employees “just enough” to get by will at least keep your business afloat. This, however, was not true in more famous examples such as the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, where an under-trained officer ran the ship aground on well-charted Bligh Reef and the St. Francis dam collapse, where self-taught and under-qualified civil engineer, William Mulholland, built a dam above the St. Francis Quito Canyon, in order to provide water for Los Angeles residents. Mulholland was the only one in charge and both the dam and the rock upon which the dam was built were insufficient for the task. In these circumstances, companies and businesses can prevent disaster by providing adequate training, not only in work duties, but also in company and legal protocol. Protocol is set in place to avoid “what if” situations, where chain of custody or reactions to unique environments is not clearly defined.

In the above examples, a great amount of damage can be caused in a short amount of time and through improper supervising procedures. Receiving adequate training and courses such as the ones listed above can greatly reduce accidents, injury, death and loss of revenue in high-hazard work environments. Drug and alcohol testing, especially around major holidays, can reduce additional damage due to slowed reaction time, poor judgment and carelessness. Incomplete knowledge can, in some circumstances, be more dangerous than having no knowledge at all. Keep yourself and your employee’s safe by receiving the proper training and testing.