The three main types of drug tests include urine, hair, and saliva. Each type comes with its pros and cons. Companies that drug test, usually choose the ones that save the most cost. However, if you are looking at which drug test is most accurate, this article is for you.
Types of Drug Tests
There are many ways to determine if someone consumes drugs. Most drug tests usually analyze your body fluids such as urine or sweat. Here are some common drug tests.
Urine drug tests are very common. Most people are familiar with it because it’s easy to use. Furthermore, urine tests are the least expensive drug tests.
A Urine test can detect drugs for over 7 days after consumption. Some drugs even remain in a person’s urine for up to 30 days.
- Hair test
A hair test is amongst the accurate way to screen for drugs. Hair tests can detect drug use for more than 30 days after consuming the drug. In some cases, it can detect drug usage all the way up to four months.
Hair drug tests involve clipping off about 100 strands of the person’s hair. You just simply need to cut a small part of the hair while avoiding the scalp. Each strand should be at least an inch and a half long. This test looks for remnants of drugs that fall in a person’s hair cells. This test works mostly when testing individuals for cannabis use.
- Sweat test
A sweat test is quite uncommon but it’s very essential. Sweat tests involve an individual wearing a skin patch for several days. During that time, the patch absorbs sweat including any drug particles.
- Saliva test
Most companies now prefer Saliva tests to test employees. For the saliva test, you will have a swab that you’ll rub on the inside of your cheek.
After rubbing for several minutes, you’ll have enough saliva. An individual’s saliva will detect any remnants of drug use.
- Blood test
A blood drug test involves drawing a small blood sample from an individual. If the person has a history of drug usage, it will show in their blood. While this method is more intrusive than other methods, they have high accuracy.
Bottom line
Blood tests are the most accurate drug tests but are they are costly. Drugs don’t stay in the blood long which means individuals can still test negative after a blood test. Drugs like marijuana only stay in the blood for 24 hours for chronic users.
By now you know which drug test is most accurate. A blood test is very accurate, and it’s difficult to cheat. Hair is advantageous when testing an individual who uses drugs previously.
Hair tests and sweat tests have very low accuracy. This is because it can show positive results while you don’t consume drugs.
It’s essential to note that the different drug tests have high levels of accuracy. However, if you want the most accurate option, a blood test is the way to go.
