How Far Back Does a Drug Test Go?
In choosing the best drug testing services for your needs, there are several considerations, such as whether you wish to test for more recent use of drugs or over a longer period of time. For pre-employment drug screens, you will want to know if the applicant has a long-term substance abuse problem. After an accident, you will want to test right away for more recent use, to know if they were under the influence when the accident occurred. Therefore, it is important to know the detection window for various types of tests. For employee drug testing, it's also helpful to know how long drugs stay in a person's system, so that you can schedule random testing accordingly.
Health Street offers testing with urine and hair, plus additional tests for alcohol. Our clients include individuals and their families, courts and businesses, who use drug testing for applicants and employees.
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Drug Detection Times and Factors
How far back does a drug test go? There are various factors that influence how long a certain drug can be detected in the system. These include the type of testing used, the drug and dosage, potency, person's tolerance and metabolism, and whether they have existing medical conditions.
The detection period for urine tests can be between several hours to two months, depending on the substance. For phenobarbital, it's just 6-48 hours. Urine tests can detect marijuana and THC for as long as two months, in the case of daily users.
The drug detection time in urine drug tests are rough estimates, since there are many factors that can make these detection windows longer or shorter.
With hair follicle tests, the drug can be detected for a greater length of time. For marijuana, heroin, fentanyl and other substances, it can be as much as 90 days.
How Long Do Drugs Stay in Your System?
The amount of time a drug stays in your system can vary by the type, how much is used, frequency of use, your hydration levels, amount of physical activity, body mass, metabolic rate, drug tolerance, weight, medical conditions, gender, and ethnicity.
Which Drug Test Goes Back the Furthest?
Hair tests go back 90 days or more. Hair follicle testing doesn't test the hair follicles (roots), but rather the first 1.5 inches of growth. Since drugs are detectable in hair for a long time, testing hair determines prior use of drugs. Many substances can be detected in hair.
Testing for Alcohol Use
When asking "how long do drugs stay in your system," there's also the issue of alcohol use. Health Street offers various kinds of tests which can detect alcohol and its metabolites. We can check for current intoxication or if the consumption was at some time in the past. Since testing methods differ on how far they look back, the type you should order depends upon the circumstance and your requirements.
Why Use Health Street for Your Drug Testing Needs?
StaffGlass For Company Drug Testing Programs
For a company-wide drug screening program, it can be difficult to coordinate tests for groups of employees. Our StaffGlass integrated recruitment and onboarding platform lets you order pre-employment and ongoing drug testing for your staff. It also includes remote ID verification, background checks, occupational health services and e-sign document management.
StaffGlass benefits include:
Contact us if you have any questions about which drug tests are most appropriate for your situation. Whether you require a drug test for a family member, a court order or for a company program, we have a fast, accurate and effective solution.
