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Essential Benefits Of Hair Drug Testing

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Drug testing is used in various sectors, including sports, employment, monitoring treatment and misuse of prescription drugs, and in the legal field to obtain evidence. The common endgame is ascertaining whether people taking the tests are dangerous to themselves and the people around them. Depending on their purpose, these tests may be taken randomly or at scheduled intervals. 

While various methods of conducting the tests exist, hair drug testing presents the most advantages. The testing method utilizes hair follicles to check for a specific drug or several drug classes. Unlike urine tests, hair drug testing gives accurate results showing drug use patterns for a prolonged period. Here are some reasons you should consider using hair drug testing over other options. 

Low Chances of Manipulation

Illicit drug users are often aware of the negative impact their substance abuse may have on their reputation and employability once it comes to light. Consequently, they have developed several subversion techniques to manipulate drug tests. While some candidates stop using drugs for some time before a scheduled test, others may substitute their specimen or alter it to frustrate drug detection. Urine drug tests are especially prone to these subversion methods; thus, their accuracy might be questionable. On the other hand, hair drug testing is impossible to manipulate. The hair specimen cannot be diluted or altered to give inaccurate results. Similarly, candidates cannot substitute samples since the collection process involves directly harvesting hair follicles from the candidate's scalp. 

Long Detection Window

Hair drug testing receives higher positive illicit drug detection rates than other testing methods due to its prolonged detection window. While urine tests have a limited capacity to detect drug use in the last few hours to about a week, hair drug testing detects illicit drug use in the past ninety days. The tests can detect more prolonged drug use, but laboratories cut detection to ninety days to comply with state statutes. Therefore, a person cannot pass the drug test by halting substance abuse a few days before a scheduled drug test. This ensures employees and other eligible persons refrain from drug use, thus ensuring productivity and enhancing the safety of people around them. 

Less Intrusive

Although drug testing has various benefits since it ensures workplace safety, it is essential to maintain the candidates' dignity. Drug testing methods such as urine testing involve invasive and embarrassing specimen collection. Contemporarily, candidates collect specimens by urinating in a tiny container before submitting them, which can be demeaning. However, hair drug testing maintains the candidates' dignity. The sampler collects hair follicles from the candidates' heads and tests them for illicit substances without subjecting them to an uncomfortable situation.

For more information, contact a local company, like AAVCOR.


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