Employers, whether in the private or government sector, want a safe and healthy workforce. For this reason, nearly two-thirds of employers subject their potential employees to a mandatory drug test before signing contracts. While others have successfully passed the test, many have been turned away for testing positive for certain drugs.
As a result, the demand for home-based drug test kits has spiraled over the past years. But how important are these self-test kits? For the novice, here is a little secret for you. Self-drug tests at home can help save your career. Surprised? Yes, it can save your career.
Self-drug tests help identify the illegal substance present in your body before your employer or potential employer does. If you turn positive, you can devise methods of beating the test before presenting yourself for a test under your employer’s watch.
When do I need a drug test?
The general purpose of any drug is to determine if an individual has been recently using illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs. For various reasons, an individual may be subjected to a drug test, and this includes:
- Testing for employment purposes
- Legal or forensic testing
- Athletic Testing
- Monitoring for prescribed drugs misuse
- Medical testing
- Military and Police recruitment
So, whether you are legally required to take a drug test or you’ve just decided to create a drug-free workplace, here are the three best drug testing panels you can try.
5-panel DOT urine drug test
Developed in the early 1980s, this drug test panel marked the era of modern drug testing. And to date, it is still the most requested drug test and is popular among private employers and government agencies. Although this panel cannot detect the modern drug abused today, it can detect the commonly abused drugs like cocaine, marijuana, primary opiates (heroin, morphine, and codeine), amphetamines, and Phencyclidine.
The 5-panel urine drug test is considered a standard drug test panel by the Federal government’s Mandatory guidelines for workplace drug testing. For instance, it is mandatory to take a drug test in Houston Tx before employment.
The Department of Transport in The USA also uses this panel to detect drug abuse among workers in all modes of transport. It requires that employees in the transport industry undergo a mandatory drug test before employment and a random drug test once a year or after an employee causes many accidents.
The Areta-14 panel drug test cup
If you want to save money doing different drug tests, this is your ultimate drug test panel. The Areta’s 14-panel drug test cup is arguably one of the most comprehensive, easy-to-use test kits with a professional high-quality grade system to detect more drugs. It has an accuracy level of 99% and can test up to 14 different types of drugs in the comfort of your home. That’s incredible, right? Your guess is as good as mine.
Now, this 14-panel test kit comes with a collection cup, a set of gloves (disposable), as well as for instructions. Testing is as simple as collecting fresh urine and reading results beside the cup in just five minutes. To ensure specimen validity, the collection cup has an inbuilt temperature strip.
Because it comes with instructions, interpreting test results is pretty simple. It is negative if two lines appear on your test strip, two faint lines included, and positive if only the control on your strip appears.
This kit has been cleared by FDA as a home-use kit for drug testing and meets the Substance and Mental Health Service Administration standards for drug test panels.
Some of the drugs it tests include:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Opiates
- Ecstasy
- Methadone
- Propoxyphene
- Methamphetamines
- Oxycodone
- Amphetamines
- Benzodiazepines
- Phencyclidine
- Barbiturates
- BuprenorphineTricyclic Antidepressants
Easy@Home-5 panel drug test kit
As the name suggests, the Easy@Home drug test kit is a simple yet accurate 5-panel test kit that allows you to conduct regular drug testing in the comfort of your home or workplace. It is a 5-panel kit meaning it can be used to test five different types of drugs, namely:
- Marijuana (THC)
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- Benzodiazepines
- Amphetamines
The testing process is simple. You start by collecting the urine sample in a clean cup. Then open the pouch seal containing the test panel and remove the protector on the absorbent end. Submerge the absorbent end in the urine sample while keeping an eye not to immerse it past the maximum fill line. Let it settle for about10 seconds, then place it on a flat, clean surface.
After five minutes, you can interpret the results based on the instructions provided in your kit. It’s negative if two lines appear and positive if only the control line appears. It’s advisable not to read the results after the 5-minute mark, as the specimen may be contaminated and rendered inaccurate.
To add to its incredible features, this drug test kit has been cleared for home use by FDA and also received a federal waiver as an authentic kit suitable for use in a lab-based test.
Bottom Line
Although many illicit substances are used, there is an increased concern over the misuse of legitimate pain management drugs like tramadol. To ensure safety and a healthy lifestyle at work or home, self-testing is essential to identify the presence of a life-threatening substance in your body. While home-based test kits are a good idea, the results are only preliminary and cannot be used for official purposes. In this case, laboratory testing is considered the most appropriate and reliable test, especially where a positive test has consequences to bear.