The elimination of drugs begins with the purification of the blood. For this reason, it is possible to detect poisons in blood tests only if the samples were made no later than several hours after the substance injection. The danger of drugs is that they begin to accumulate in the body. Their constant content in the blood and tissues leads to detrimental consequences, which affects the health of internal organs, including the brain, cardiovascular system, liver, and kidneys.

Who usually get tested

Drug testing is primarily done for the systematic or random screening of people for evidence of the substance use with the potential for abuse. Testing is carried out for the following groups:

• Specific groups of people, usually including students, athletes, and prisoners
• People who are applying for a job or who already have a certain type of job (e.g. pilots, commercial truck drivers)
• People who have been involved in a car or boat accident or work accident
• People who tried to commit suicide in an obscure way
• People who are on a court-ordered treatment program or who are required to withdraw abstinence under parole or bail rules (to monitor compliance)
• People participating in a substance abuse treatment program (as a standard function to obtain objective evidence of substance abuse and thus to optimize treatment)
• People needed to participate in a drug testing program under inmate or parental rights
• Military personnel

Notice or consent may be a requirement prior to drug testing, depending on jurisdiction and circumstances. For legal purposes, simple documentation of use may be sufficient, but testing cannot determine the frequency and intensity of substance use and therefore cannot distinguish casual users from those with more serious problems. In addition, drug testing only detects a limited number of substances and thus does not identify many others. The clinician is required to use other methods (eg, history taking, questionnaires) to determine the extent to which substance use has affected each patient's life.

Substances in urine

After cleansing the blood, drug elements remain in the kidneys for some time. They linger longest in hair and nails. There are 2 ways to identify toxins in the body - immunochemical and chemical-toxicological.

When analyzing, a large number of drug substances can be found, including:

• Amphetamine
• Marijuana
• Heroin
• Cocaine
• Barbiturates
• Oxycodone
• Methadone
• Ecstasy

Thus, virtually all drugs can be detected by immunochromatography. The method consists in the fact that urine is passed through absorbents, which reveal the contained elements.

A certain type of substance forms pairs with the body's antibodies. When a specific metabolite is detected, the indicator strip turns pink. If the drug content is low, the indicator does not change color.

Weak concentration can be confirmed with a second antigen, which will stain the strip pink. Simply put, the zones of the strip indicate the concentration of the substance. The staining of both zones indicates the systemic intake of the substance.

The chemical-toxicological method of analysis is carried out according to a different scheme. This method is carried out using an immunoassay for one of the substances. For research, the samples are divided into 3 parts and sealed in separate containers by running in. The check is carried out within 3 days after taking the analysis, the storage of which is carried out at a temperature of 32-35.6°F. The results are legally binding and can be used in court as evidence.

How long do drugs stay in your system?

It is best to collect tests during the first time after drug use. This is due to the fact that during this period the concentration of the substance is maximum. Within a few years, the content of the substance decreases markedly and a qualitative reaction may not work.

For example, amphetamine and codeine appear within 4 days; methamphetamine and cocaine for 5 days; methadone can be delayed for a week, and opium for only 2 days.

Many people mistakenly believe that cannabinoids are not sufficiently concentrated and nearly impossible to detect. In practice, everything is different - marijuana, sydnocard and Ritalin can be determined within 3 days. In this case, one use will be enough. Only barbiturates appear longer - 3 weeks. If the reception was not a one-time, then the substances can be detected for more than 3 months.

The fact is that the active component of cannabinoids such as marijuana penetrates into tissues and remains there for a long time. It also suggests that overweight people may have a much longer detection period than thin people.

The longest period of stay in the body is distinguished by benzodiazepines. After one use, they can be found after a little over a month.

Thus, it is possible to identify not only one-time drug use, but also a systematic one. At the same time, depending on the type of drug, it is possible to determine the minimum period of constant drug administration into the body.