Marijuana drug testing- need of the hour
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in United States and some other countries. It is an illicit drug and smoked mostly for its psychoactive properties like euphoria and a sense of relaxation. Though Marijuana abuse leads to many physical and behavioral adverse effects, it is widely abused as it can be easily accessed and available at very low price. The Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana. Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals and smoking marijuana deposits 4 times more tar than normal cigarette. Marijuana is one of the five drugs tested for in standard NIDA approved drug tests, 'SAMHSA-5'. The primary psychoactive substance in marijuana is Delta-9-TetraHydroCannabinol (THC), though many other cannabinoid compounds are present in it. Marijuana can be detected even after a long time of abuse as THC remains in the fatty tissues of the body and enters steadily into the blood and urine.
The common methods of marijuana drug testing are-
Urine testing: Urine testing is the common test method as it is least expensive. Urine tests provide results within minutes. However, lab verification is required to get accurate results. They are commonly used at home by parents to track their children and by employers at workplaces to detect their employees. Marijuana can be detected by urine drug test for 3 to 5 days and sometimes up to 30 days depending on the amount of marijuana abused. The initial test cutoff concentration is 50ng/mL and confirmatory cutoff concentration level is 15ng/mL for its metabolite- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid.
Hair testing: Marijuana abuse can also be detected with hair testing method, which is a little expensive than urine tests. Hair tests require a sample of hair about the diameter of a pencil and 1.5 inches long to detect marijuana abuse. Hair tests can detect marijuana abuse over a longer period for up to 90 days. The initial cutoff concentration in hair is 1.0pg/mg and confirmatory cutoff concentration for marijuana metabolite Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid is 0.05 pg/mg.
Blood testing: Blood tests are the least common methods of testing, as they are very expensive. Marijuana blood tests provide accurate results. The detection period of marijuana in the blood is up to 24 hours and it may be detected for a longer period in a frequent user.
Marijuana is considered as the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. Its early detection leads to prevention of marijuana abuse. Therefore, it is very important to know about the marijuana drug testing methods, which you can use to detect the presence of marijuana in your dear ones.
The common methods of marijuana drug testing are-
Urine testing: Urine testing is the common test method as it is least expensive. Urine tests provide results within minutes. However, lab verification is required to get accurate results. They are commonly used at home by parents to track their children and by employers at workplaces to detect their employees. Marijuana can be detected by urine drug test for 3 to 5 days and sometimes up to 30 days depending on the amount of marijuana abused. The initial test cutoff concentration is 50ng/mL and confirmatory cutoff concentration level is 15ng/mL for its metabolite- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid.
Hair testing: Marijuana abuse can also be detected with hair testing method, which is a little expensive than urine tests. Hair tests require a sample of hair about the diameter of a pencil and 1.5 inches long to detect marijuana abuse. Hair tests can detect marijuana abuse over a longer period for up to 90 days. The initial cutoff concentration in hair is 1.0pg/mg and confirmatory cutoff concentration for marijuana metabolite Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid is 0.05 pg/mg.
Blood testing: Blood tests are the least common methods of testing, as they are very expensive. Marijuana blood tests provide accurate results. The detection period of marijuana in the blood is up to 24 hours and it may be detected for a longer period in a frequent user.
Marijuana is considered as the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. Its early detection leads to prevention of marijuana abuse. Therefore, it is very important to know about the marijuana drug testing methods, which you can use to detect the presence of marijuana in your dear ones.
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