What you need to know about common drug testing panels and specimen types

Summary

In this informative video series, National Drug Screening's President, Mr. Joe Riley, discusses the intricacies of drug testing in the workplace. He explains the standard five-panel drug test, which includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP, and its variations like the 10-panel test. Riley also addresses the importance of specimen types, such as urine, oral fluid, and hair, each with its detection window and challenges in cheating. He highlights the impact of changing laws on drug testing, especially regarding marijuana, and stresses the need for employers to be aware of state laws and choose the appropriate testing method to maintain a drug-free workplace.

Takeaways

• 📊 The most common drug testing panel is the five-panel test, which includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP.
• 🔍 Amphetamines in the five-panel test also cover MDMA and MDA (ecstasy), and methamphetamines.
• 💊 The opiates section of the test includes codeine, morphine, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone.
• 📈 The five-panel test has evolved over time, with drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and various opioids being added around 2018.
• 🛑 For Department of Transportation (DOT) regulated companies, the five-panel test is mandatory, while non-regulated companies might opt for a 10-panel test or customize their panels.
• 🌿 Some non-regulated companies may choose to drop marijuana from their drug testing panels due to changing legal landscapes.
• 🧪 Traditionally, urine has been the primary specimen type for drug testing, but oral fluid and hair testing are becoming more common.
• 🤝 Oral fluid testing is non-invasive and detects recent drug use, making it suitable for post-accident or reasonable suspicion testing.
• 💇‍♀️ Hair testing can detect drug use from approximately 7 days to 90 days prior, offering a longer look-back period compared to other methods.
• 🚫 Cheating on drug tests is more difficult with oral fluid and hair testing as the collection process is supervised.
• 🏦 Employers may choose different specimen types based on their specific needs, such as immediate detection, long-term detection, or compliance with state laws and regulations.

Q & A

What is the most common drug testing panel used in drug-free workplace programs?

The most common drug testing panel is the five-panel drug test, which includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP.

What substances are covered under the five-panel drug test?

The five-panel drug test covers marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines (including MDA and methamphetamines), opiates (including codeine, morphine, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone), and PCP.

What is the difference between a five-panel and a ten-panel drug test?

A ten-panel drug test includes the substances in a five-panel test plus additional drugs such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, methaqualone, and sometimes methadone.

Why might an employer choose to use a 10-panel test instead of a five-panel test?

Employers might choose a 10-panel test to include additional drugs like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and methadone for more comprehensive drug screening.

What is the significance of the 2018 expansion of opiates in drug testing?

The expansion of opiates in drug testing around 2018 was due to the opioid crisis and overprescribing of opioids in the United States.

How does the drug testing panel choice differ between DOT-regulated and non-regulated companies?

DOT-regulated companies must follow specific drug testing panels as required by the government, while non-regulated companies have more flexibility and can choose different panels based on their needs and state laws.

What are the common specimen types used for drug testing?

The common specimen types used for drug testing are urine, oral fluid, and hair.

Why is urine the most traditional specimen type for drug testing?

Urine has been the most traditional specimen type for drug testing since the late 1980s because it is non-invasive, easy to collect, and detects drug use over a period of days to weeks.

What is the advantage of oral fluid testing over urine testing?

Oral fluid testing is advantageous because it detects very recent drug use and is collected in the presence of a tester, making it more difficult to cheat.

How far back in time can hair testing detect drug use?

Hair testing can detect drug use from about 7 days to approximately 90 days, providing a longer look-back period compared to urine or oral fluid.

Why might an employer choose to use a combination of different specimen types for drug testing?

Employers might use a combination of specimen types to cover different detection windows and to reduce the possibility of cheating, such as using oral fluid for reasonable suspicion or post-accident testing and hair for pre-employment testing.

How do changing marijuana laws affect the choice of specimen type for drug testing?

Changing marijuana laws may lead employers to choose oral fluid testing for marijuana use because it detects the parent drug in saliva rather than metabolites in urine, which can remain detectable for longer periods.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Drug Testing Panels

The video series introduces the topic of drug testing with a focus on common drug testing panels and specimen types. Mr. Joe Riley, president of National Drug Screening, shares his expertise in the industry since 1993. He discusses the evolution of drug testing, including the standard five-panel test that includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP. The conversation also touches on the expansion of the panel to include additional drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and various prescription opioids. Mr. Riley explains the difference between regulated and non-regulated drug testing and the flexibility employers have in choosing the panel that suits their needs.

05:01

🔍 Specimen Types and Testing Options

This section delves into the different types of specimen used for drug testing, such as urine, oral fluid, and hair. The discussion highlights the traditional use of urine for DOT testing and the upcoming introduction of oral fluid testing in 2024. For non-regulated testing, oral fluid and hair testing are popular alternatives. The conversation explores the advantages of each specimen type, such as the difficulty of cheating with oral fluid and hair testing, and the detection window they provide. Urine tests can detect drug use from 2 to 6 days, oral fluid from a few hours to about 2.5 days, and hair testing can look back up to 90 days.

10:03

🚫 Cheating and the Reliability of Tests

The script addresses the issue of cheating on drug tests, with a focus on the collection process for each specimen type. Urine tests are conducted in private, which may allow for cheating, whereas oral fluid and hair tests are collected in the presence of a tester, reducing the chance of cheating. The conversation also discusses the accuracy and reliability of different tests, with oral fluid being more suitable for recent drug use and hair testing providing a longer detection window. The discussion also touches on the legal implications of drug testing, especially with the changing laws around marijuana use.

15:08

🌿 Impact of Marijuana Legalization on Drug Testing

The final paragraph discusses the impact of marijuana legalization on drug testing practices. It highlights the challenges employers face in states where marijuana use is legal and how it affects the decision to include marijuana in drug testing panels. The conversation suggests that oral fluid testing might be a better option for marijuana due to its ability to detect the parent drug in saliva. The discussion also mentions the potential development of a marijuana breathalyzer, which could significantly change the landscape of drug testing.

Keywords

💡Drug Testing

Drug testing is a procedure used to detect the presence of drugs or their metabolites in a person's body. In the context of the video, drug testing is a critical aspect of maintaining a drug-free workplace and ensuring safety, particularly in regulated industries. The video discusses various types of drug tests and their applications, emphasizing the importance of understanding what substances to test for and the appropriate specimen types to use.

💡Panel

A drug testing panel refers to a specific set of drugs that are screened for during a drug test. The video mentions different panels, such as a five-panel test which includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP. Panels are designed to detect common substances of abuse and can be expanded to include additional drugs like benzodiazepines or synthetic opioids, depending on the employer's needs and legal requirements.

💡Specimen Types

Specimen types are the biological samples collected for drug testing, such as urine, oral fluid, or hair. The video discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each type, noting that urine is the most traditional and legally accepted, while oral fluid and hair offer different detection windows and challenges in terms of cheating. The choice of specimen type can depend on the purpose of the test and the regulations governing drug testing in a particular industry or region.

💡Five Panel Drug Test

The five-panel drug test is a standard screening method that checks for five common drugs of abuse: marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP. The video explains that this panel is widely used for both regulated and non-regulated drug testing programs and has been the standard since drug testing began in the late 1980s. It has evolved over time to include additional drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and various opioids.

💡Oral Fluid Testing

Oral fluid testing, also known as saliva testing, is a method of drug testing that involves collecting a sample of oral fluid to detect drug use. The video highlights that oral fluid testing is becoming more popular, especially for non-regulated testing, because it can detect very recent drug use and is difficult to cheat. It is also mentioned that oral fluid testing for DOT (Department of Transportation) will become operational in 2024.

💡Hair Testing

Hair testing is a drug testing method that analyzes hair samples to detect drug use over an extended period, typically 90 days. The video explains that hair testing is more expensive than urine testing but provides a longer look-back period, making it useful for pre-employment screening or in situations where long-term drug use is a concern.

💡Cheating

Cheating, in the context of drug testing, refers to the attempts to manipulate or adulterate the test sample to avoid detection of drug use. The video discusses the difficulty of cheating with oral fluid and hair testing compared to urine testing, as the collection process for the former is supervised, reducing the chances of tampering.

💡DOT (Department of Transportation)

The Department of Transportation (DOT) in the United States sets mandatory guidelines for drug and alcohol testing in industries like aviation, trucking, and railroads. The video mentions that DOT requires specific drug testing panels and specimen types, such as urine for drug testing and breathalyzers for alcohol testing. Compliance with DOT regulations is critical for employers in these industries.

💡Marijuana Laws

Marijuana laws refer to the legal regulations surrounding the use of marijuana, which vary by state in the U.S. The video discusses how changing marijuana laws can impact drug testing practices, particularly with regard to urine testing, which can detect marijuana use over a period that may not align with current legal definitions of impairment. The video suggests that oral fluid testing might be a more appropriate method for marijuana testing due to its shorter detection window.

💡Opioid Crisis

The opioid crisis is a term used to describe the widespread misuse of and addiction to opioids, a class of drugs that includes prescription pain relievers and heroin. The video notes that the opioid crisis has led to an expansion of drug testing panels to include a wider range of opioids, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, to address the growing problem of opioid abuse in the workplace.

💡Medical Review Officer (MRO)

A Medical Review Officer (MRO) is a licensed physician responsible for receiving laboratory results and evaluating them in the context of an employee's medical history and other relevant information. The video mentions that MROs play a crucial role in the drug testing process, particularly for non-regulated testing, by reviewing and verifying test results before they are reported to the employer.

Highlights

Introduction to common drug testing panels and specimen types

Joe Riley's experience in drug testing industry since 1993

The most common drug testing panel is the five-panel drug test

The five-panel drug test includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP

Amphetamines in the five-panel test include MDMA, MDA, and methamphetamines

Opioids in the five-panel test include codeine, morphine, heroin, and various prescription opioids

The expansion of opiates in drug testing panels around 2018

The option for employers to use a 10-panel drug test

The 10-panel drug test adds benzodiazepines, barbiturates, methaqualone, and methadone to the five-panel

The concept of customized panels beyond the standard 10-panel

The importance of testing for fentanyl due to the current crisis

The impact of state laws and union contracts on drug testing panels

The use of oral fluid testing for non-regulated drug testing

The process of oral fluid collection and its advantages over urine testing

Hair testing as a method to detect drug use over a 90-day period

The difficulty of cheating on oral fluid and hair testing

The accuracy and reliability of different specimen types for drug testing

The appropriate use of oral fluid testing for post-accident or reasonable suspicion testing

The potential for combining different specimen types for drug testing

The impact of changing marijuana laws on drug testing practices

The potential development of a marijuana breathalyzer

Advice for employers on handling marijuana positive results

Transcripts

Welcome to our video series here at

National Drug Screening employers have

lots of questions about drug testing

especially in this everchanging world uh

one of the things we're going to be

talking about today in in this

particular video is common drug testing

panels and specimen types what should

you be using what should you not be

using and what you need to

[Music]

know

so welcome to this video series today in

the studi with us as our president of

National Drug Screening Mr Joe Riley um

Mr Riley has been in the drug testing

industry since 1993 he's implemented

drug testing programs and policies for

companies not only across the State of

Florida where he first launched his his

first company but also all over the

United States he's also served as an

expert witness provided webinars

trainings uh for organizations including

governmental agencies all across the

country and one of the big things that

changes coming up these days for

employers is specimen types you know

people are asking about what drug test

panel do we need what specimen types do

we need so thank you Mr Riley for

jumping into the video series with us

and sharing your insights pleasure to be

here and answer questions about uh drug

test panels and and specimen types

absolutely and these are some of the

common questions that we get from

employer clients we do work with

employers all over the country and so

one of the the first questions we get

are what are the common drug testing

panels or the most common ones used in

drug free workplace programs these days

okay so the most common drug testing

panel which is also used for all do

regulated drug testing but also used for

non-regulated business is what we call

the five panel drug test and the five

panel drug test includes

marijuana cocaine

amphetamines pyodine or

PCP

and

opiates and when we talk about the

amphetamines it adds MDM MDA which is

ecstasy and it adds

methamphetamines when we talk about the

opioids we're talking about Codine

morphine

heroin

oxycodone

hydrocodone

oxymorphone Hydromorphone there's

actually a whole bunch of drugs there

you could count them up and you could

get to 12 and some people call it a 12

panel and some people call it a a seven

panel but the Laboratories that do the

drug testing and the do that regulates

the the specific panel for DOT companies

they call it a five panel so that's the

standard drug testing panel that we see

it's been around since drug testing

started back in the late 80s it has

expanded a little bit they didn't always

have heroin in there they didn't always

have methamphetamine in there they

didn't always have ecstasy in there and

they didn't always have the the

hydrocodones and the oxycodones and the

oxymoron and and the

Hydromorphone so that all happened those

those expanded opiates around

2018 about the time of the big pill Mill

situation and the

overprescribing of opioids throughout

the United States so for DOT you got to

use that do five panel

test for nonot most companies say well

what should I do you know they don't

know and we say well one option is to do

what do requires and to do your standard

five panel test your marijuana cocaine

amphetamines opiates and PCP en cycline

but you can go to what is commonly

called a 10 panel test okay so you're

adding benzo diazines barbit

methon

methadone and what's that last one

peroxy peroxy thank you Tom um so that's

a standard 10 panel now what's

interesting is the Laboratories you know

the five panel is they know what it is

and the the 10 panel they know what it

is but if you were to say to me Jo I

need a 12

panel I would have to say well Tom I

need to know the drugs you want I need

to know the 12 drugs you want cuz

there's not a standard 12 panel 11 panel

13 panel so let's say you wanted a 13

panel well yeah well we want a 13 panel

we want the 10 panel but we also want

Fentanyl and Meine and

tramadol okay but it's it's not called a

13 panel it's called a 10 panel plus

Meine and Tramadol and Fentanyl and

Fentanyl is becoming a popular drug to

test for because as We Know we got a big

fentanyl problem in this country right

now with fentanyl coming across the

border yeah and I and I think you had

some great points there that you know

for do testing you have you know the

very specific panels you can't test for

more you can't test for Less you test

for what the government tells you to

test for and then for those for those

non-regulated panels having different

things you know is it just an employer's

choice to do those different things or

are there sometimes they have like a

Union contract or a state law that may

affect you know what panel that uh that

they can test for yeah it could be any

of those it could be based on the

employer's Choice um maybe there's a

particular drug in their community that

people are using more of it could be

because of of a state program that

requires something for uh to get a state

incentive for implementing a drug-free

workplace we see in the medical industry

particularly hospitals they're going

with an expanded panel like over and

above the 10 panel they're adding those

fentanyls and meines and traod dools and

maybe other drugs because in a hospital

there's a whole closet full of drugs

that people may steal and use and

subvert so they may be using you know 17

different drugs so it really depends um

but again most often we see the five

panel right and I know there's just uh

you know those exceptions that come out

there that that we work CU you know we

work with customers all over the country

and you have some of those expanded

panels like the big chemical companies

that might do 32 panel you know or 32

drug tests and those kind of crazy

things but there's pretty much common

ones that most of the non-regulated

testing you know use that are that are

fairly common in there so besides that

the big thing these days is also with

specimen type so how do you do the drug

test because we know the panel we know

the drugs you're testing for you have

different reasons where you might test

for them are there restrictions on

certain specimen types or recommended

specimen types or you know tell me you

know how that actually applies

for the drug testing for employers yeah

specimen types is a good topic but I

just want to go back for for just uh a

few seconds is that uh in the non do

world the non-regulated

world sometimes people are doing a four

panel or a N9 panel they're dropping

marijuana from the panel and they can do

that if they elect to do that not for

DOT but they can do that in non doot so

specimen types so traditionally since

the late ' 80s when drug testing started

in businesses in the United States

urine has been the specimen okay for DOT

testing urine is currently the specimen

right now today as we speak we use urine

for a DOT test we use a breathalizer for

an alcohol test okay now going back to

do for just a few seconds here because

folks in the audience may have heard

that do allows oral fluid

now they do but it's not operational yet

at the the laboratory sometime next year

sometime in

2024 we will see the launching of oral

fluid testing for do now for non doot

non-regulated unless there's a state law

or state law

program urine is not the only game in

town okay oral fluid for non doot has

been around for 15 plus years basically

we're collecting oral fluid on a device

I call a sponge on a stick goes in the

mouth it comes out it goes in a tube it

gets shipped to the laboratory they do

initial testing just like they would on

a urine specimen they do confirmation

testing if it's positive and then those

results go to a medical review officer

for review and verification and

Reporting so you have oral fluid testing

so urine oral fluid and hair testing

hair testing's been around for a good 10

plus

years the major difference with hair

testing again it's non doot only hair

testing is detecting drugs from 7 days

out so it's not detecting drugs I did

yesterday right it's about 7 days out to

about 90 days out so if you want to find

out if your candidate used drugs last

month or the month before or the third

month back hair testing is an option

hair testing is more

expensive but it gives you that up to

90day look back Peri period both oral

fluid and hair testing are specimen

types where cheating is very difficult M

so let me ask this you know why would it

be uh you maybe easier to cheat a urine

drug screen or maybe ask a different way

you know why would it be more maybe

either I don't know if accurate would be

the right word or more reliable

potentially for using oral fluid because

that's kind of a big thing these days

can you share kind of you know why that

might be something that's going to be

kind of more toward the future

absolutely so

um first off on the cheating with with

collecting a urine speci the person goes

into a bathroom in in privacy so we

don't know what they got strapped onto

their body or hidden under their in

their boots or whatever with hair

testing and oral fluid testing the

collection is done right in front of the

person that's administering the testing

now we get the question all the time

what's more accurate urine oral fluid

hair even blood because you can't do

blood drug testing but it's not done

much because it's invasive you need a

FLOTUS and it's very expensive it's

about three times more than a urine drug

test okay but with oral fluid the main

difference with oral fluid it's

detecting very recent drug use like I

smoke it I smoked a joint this morning

on my way to work it's going to detect

it with urine it may take a day for that

THC to metabolize in my body with hair

it's going to take s days so with oral

fluid

might be more appropriate for a post

accident test or a reasonable suspicion

test because there's a shorter window of

detection starting a couple of hours

after drug use but only going back to

about two and a half

days with hair again we got the longer

window of detection going back to

approximately 90 days with urine we're

typically going back anywhere from 2 to

5 six days H So You Got Ur in testing

primarily you're here and anural fluid

all those coming out these days so I

know one of the questions we get from

employers all the time is which one do I

do or do I do a combination of these

things or does it depend on what I'm

trying to accomplish or you know does it

depend on the law you know what should I

choose yeah so it always depends on what

you're trying to accomplish okay but in

some cases it might be more appropriate

to to use a mixture of two specimen

types like oral fluid testing for

reasonable suspicion

and post accident and it's even more

convenient because it's an easy

collection that an employer can do

themselves rather than you have an

accident at 2:00 in the morning you're

not going to be able to get a urine drug

test done unless you call out a mobile

collector for three4

$500 okay um some companies just want to

stay with the traditional tried and true

urine testing it's been around for 30

plus years it holds up in court uh

there's a lot of case law oral fluid and

hair are newer there's not as much case

law but they hold up in court um we

actually have trucking companies in the

United States some of the very large

trucking companies that are required to

do dot testing they do their dot urine

test then they follow that up with a

hair test CU they don't want to hire a

guy and put him behind the wheel of a

45,000 PB rig and find out that he's

able to cheat on the urine test but he's

been using drugs all along and the hair

test will pick that up yeah so something

for the for instance for the hair

testing you know I would imagine that

you potentially with certain drugs you

could stop using for a short period of

time and oral fluid doesn't show up and

urine doesn't but then the hair is going

to get them absolutely yeah and so you

know one of the things that uh that you

mentioned with some of the the legal

things that that are going on so with

the changes in marijuana laws is that

actually going to change you know

obviously in some videos we' talked

about it changing drug testing but does

that affect the specimen type that you

might need to use depending on the

circumstance well it absolutely May when

it comes to marijuana so when we do a

urine test we will back up if if I use

drugs if I use marijuana I smoke it I

eat an edible

um that that substance is metabolizing

in my body and then getting into my

urine as a

metabolite okay so it's it's not really

THC it's the metabolite of THC now I'm

not a chemist but if you talk to a

chemist and somebody that knows body

chemistry they could tell you a lot more

but again it takes a day or so for that

metabolite to be in the urine okay well

with

marijuana in states where marijuana is

legal there're starting to pass laws

that say you can't penalize someone for

smoking pot on the

weekends and a urine test on a Monday or

a Tuesday will detect that someone

smoked pot on Friday or Saturday Sunday

now we don't know what day they did it

we just know it's in their system okay

oral fluid remember we said it can

detect like within a few hours and with

oral fluid it's not a

metabolite oral fluid is picking up the

parent drug that's embedded into your

saliva so oral fluid may be a better

specimen type for marijuana testing

there's also in development not not yet

available there are folks that are

trying to get a marijuana breathalizer

going okay now if they can get approvals

for that and they can get the the trials

and it it works and it's approved by the

FDA that's a multi-billion dollar idea

right there and and there are several

companies that are that are kind of

getting there but not yet there okay so

the options right now are check the

state laws where you're where you are

okay what are their restrictions what's

maybe some case law okay either test for

marijuana don't test for marijuana maybe

go to oral fluid for marijuana check the

state law again check the case law again

and my biggest advice to companies this

is kind of off topic a little bit is no

matter where you are if you have a

marijuana positive before you fire that

person have a conversation with HR and

Leadership right and with that

employee to determine what's going on

what's the state law what's the

situation yeah I I think that's great

Insight you know to to make sure that

they're actually prepared and you

mentioned you know a few things you know

early on about um changing Trends and

and changing laws that affected the the

panels like adding opioids back in 2018

and then with all the changes to

marijuana that's influence