Marijuana: 1-7 days Crack (Cocaine): 2-3 days Heroin (Opiates) or Methadone: 1-3 days Speed/Uppers (Amphetamine, meth): 2-3 days Angel Dust/PCP: 7-14 days Ecstacy: 2-4 days Benzodiazepine: 1-4 days Barbiturates: 1-3 weeks Tricyclic Antidepressants: 2-7 days Oxycodone: 1-2 days
Urine tests are the most common type of tests administered by employers. They’re the easiest tests to tamper with, since you have a small window of privacy during which you’re supposed to provide a urine sample (provided you aren’t being watched). Blood tests might be administered if you get pulled over and drug intoxication is suspected. This type of test is very difficult to pass if you recently used drugs, since it’s effective at determining exactly how much is in your system. But if it’s been several days since you’ve used, the test is more likely to come up negative than a urine test. [4] X Research source Saliva tests are sometimes administered in place of either urine or blood tests since they’re less invasive. They are a little less sensitive than blood tests. Hair tests are extremely difficult to fake. Up to 120 strands of hair are evaluated in a laboratory to determine whether they contain traces of drugs. Since it takes up to 2 weeks for a section of hair long enough to test to grow in, a hair test can’t tell whether you used drugs in the past 2 weeks. However, traces of drugs can stay in your hair for up to 90 days, so it’s an effective way to determine if you’re a regular user.
If you’re a heavy, or “chronic” user of marijuana, the test you take will almost definitely read as positive. However, if you’ve only used it a few times, you have a decent chance of being able to flush your system and get a test that reads negative. Remember that if you’re subjected to a hair test, anything you’ve used in the past 90 days (with the exception of the most recent two weeks) will show up. You might be able to pass a same-day drug test if you took the drug no more than 2 hours before the test (with the exception of pot and oxycodone, which will signal a positive test within 1 hour of use). [6] X Trustworthy Source US Food and Drug Administration U. S. government agency responsible for promoting public health Go to source Still, your best bet is to hold off on using drugs entirely until you’ve taken the test.
If you’ve only used the drug a few times, and it was at least a week ago, your best bet is probably going to be a blood or saliva test, since most drugs leave your bloodstream after just a few hours or days. [7] X Research source If you’re currently high when you take the test, you probably want to opt for a urine test, because it’s less sensitive than a blood test to exact levels of drugs in your system. Urine tests don’t measure THC levels, so if marijuana is the issue, even if you fail the test there won’t be proof that you were impaired at the time you took it. If you tried drugs for the first time in the last week or so, and you get the option to do a hair test instead of another one, that might be your best bet. Anything you did in the last few weeks won’t show up, but drugs you used stretching back 90 days will. If you’re a heavy user, try not to take a hair test, since it can pick up drugs in your system from months to years back, and it’s very hard to dispute. [8] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
There’s no special drink or ingredient that will help to “flush” your system or cleanse you any better than water does. [10] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source There is no evidence that substances like goldenseal, vinegar, niacin, or vitamin C have any effect on your levels of drug metabolites. [11] X Research source Take some vitamin B pills the day before your test to make your urine look yellow. If it’s too clear, test evaluators will be suspicious.
Boost your fluid output with some sort of diuretic. This will stimulate urination and will help flush your system. Diuretics include coffee, tea, and cranberry juice. Stronger diuretics, such as furosemide, are available by prescription only. Drug metabolites build up in your body while you’re sleeping, so your first stream of the day will have a higher concentration. Make sure you urinate before you have to take the sample, and drink plenty of water so your urine will be more diluted. If you aren’t being watched, make sure to pee in the toilet first and then in the sample cup; your initial urine stream will contain more metabolites.
Ignore the rumor going around that drinking bleach will purify your urine. Drinking bleach can corrode your mouth, throat, and stomach, potentially killing you. What’s more, it won’t even mask your sample. Don’t fall for false advertising on products that say your test will come up negative if you add the substance to your urine. They don’t work.
Synthetic urine passes most tests, but some states have started testing for uric acid. Make sure your sample has uric acid listed as an ingredient. The synthetic urine should also have a smell. Scentless urine is suspicious to test evaluators. It’s essential to keep the sample at the right temperature. If the temperature is too cold or hot, it’s a dead giveaway that the sample has been tampered with. Using a donor is more risky than using fake urine, because you never know what else might show up in that person’s test. You can test it yourself using a test strip available at smoke shops and most drugstores. Use the sample within 48 hours, after which it gets dark in color and the pH level begins to change.
If you can’t delay a saliva test, you might be able to increase your chances of passing. If you are self-administering the cheek swab for a saliva test, which is supposed to be rubbed between your lower cheek and gum, rub the swab against your teeth instead. Then, rather than hold it between your cheek and gums for two minutes as directed, bite it between your molars. This probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try if you’re on the spot. There’s really no way to manipulate the sample for a blood test, since the test is not self-administered. Blood is drawn on the spot and immediately taken to be tested.
Be sure you have a good story ready as to why your head is shaved. You could say your hair is thinning, or you’re experimenting with a new style. Avoid inventing a serious medical condition (eg. cancer) to explain away your hairdo: this might create a lot of long-term complications. Since the hair sample only needs to be an inch long, be forewarned that they might ask for a sample from your leg, underarm, etc. This might be a good time to get an all-over wax and pretend to be a swimmer.
Ask for a urine test. If you think you could pass a urine test because your urine is diluted, or you don’t want a blood test because it will show exactly how high you are at the time of the test, see if you can get a urine test instead. Say you consider it less invasive than the other methods. Exercise your rights. In some cases, the person administering the test might not have the right to test you. Get to know drug laws in your state and read up on your employer’s drug testing policies. See if there’s a loophole that can get you out of taking this test, or delay it to a later time.
All employees or applicants must be tested the same way. If an applicant is applying for a job, the fact that a drug test is part of the process must be clear from the start. In many cases, an employer isn’t allowed to conduct random drug tests or blanket drug tests. In many cases, an employer can test an employee for drugs if the employer has reasonable suspicion that the employee is using (erratic behavior, inadequate work, etc. ).
Check up on the lab administering and analyzing the test to make sure it’s run by the state. See if your employer gave you adequate notice in advance of the test. Determine whether you experienced what you believe to be an unreasonable invasion of privacy, such as being asked to urinate in full view of someone watching.
