TestCountry, a provider of drug testing services, recently polled 1500 employees within select industries regarding top drug testing cheating methods.
According to the survey, the top 3 most popular cheating methods are as follows:
- Dilution of the specimen: the cheaters said they saturate their bodies with fluids or substances that will dilute metabolites. Among those are red meat, taking extra Vitamins of B2 and B12, or drinking cranberry juice
- Using chemical screens to mask traces of drug in the urine
- Substitution of urine samples that were not theirs.
Of the 3500 individuals polled, 55 percent of the individuals responded that they did try to cheat on a drug test. Out of those respondents 45 percent said they diluted their specimen, 23 percent said they used chemical screens, while 13 percent admitted to using other methods.
“Thousands of sites provide information on how to cheat on drug tests, and many of the techniques have been publicized for decades,” said Serhat Pala, President of TestCountry. “Many employees are now a days switching to hair drug testing, which can not be cheated. Implementing a strict drug free workplace drug testing program and conducting random testing as part of the program is one of the ways to cope with cheaters.”
On a side note, according to the US Department of Labor, of the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 74.8 percent were employed either full or part time.
Popularity: 7% [?]
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Important subject – drugs/alcohol affect in the workplace – rarely talked about. Deserves much more attention.
Maureen
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
When a system creates a situation where “cheating” is both widespread and socially acceptable, the problem is not with the cheaters, but with the system.
Drug testing for safety is one thing- I think most reasonable people understand that airline pilots, truck-drivers, and others in risk-of-life occupations need to give up the bong for the sake of their jobs.
On the other hand, making liars and cheats out of millions of clerks, salespeople, factory floor workers, etc. does nothing for safety, but does a lot to harm our social fabric.
There is use, and there is abuse, of almost anything that people do. Drug and Alchohol abuse in the workplace is a serious problem. Drug and Alcohol use outside of the workplace should not be.
Drug testing for social control (and much of the drug law complex) is morally wrong in my opinion, and not in keeping with what the Founders intended.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
What Snyder said!!!!! Trying to control people never works in the long run, only creates more problems. If I were a manager I wouldn’t hesitate to give someone the boot that was showing up under the influence, but if someone wants to smoke pot at home in their own time, as long as they do their job I’m cool with that.
I think the ACLU should get on this a little bit harder. If the 4th ammendment protects people against unreasonable search and seizure by th government, but private employers are exempt from this ammendment, then it’s againa violation of this ammendment when the government involves itself by making it illegal to cheat on such tests.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I think its a sad state of affairs when americans are being subjected to this rediculous marxist crap. What happened to privacy.