Frequently Asked Questions

Drug and Breath Alcohol Screenings

How is the test done?
Urine:The test involves only normal urination. We recommend that you have something to drink before coming for your drug test but not too much as that will dilute the specimen and you may have to return for further testing.
Hair: Some companies require hair testing.  No special preparation is needed..

Why the Test is Performed?
The test is performed to detect the presence of illegal (and some prescription) drugs in your urine, which indicates recent use of the drug(s). The purpose of most drug testing (pre-employment, post-accident, school, random) is to detect the presence of drug use.

What does Normal Results mean?
No drugs in the urine, also called a negative drug test.

What does Abnormal Results mean?
If the test result is positive, confirmation testing will be done with gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In some cases, a first test will register a false positive. At which time a confirmation test will be done and confirmed as positive or negative.  This can result from interfering factors such as some foods, prescription medications, and other drugs.

Can medicines/ substances make my drug test abnormal/ positive?
Some medications and substances can make a screening test turn positive, a confirmation test would then be performed by GC-MS which would then test specifically for the substance that had screened positive. This test will confirm whether the test is positive or negative.

Who is a Medical Review Officer?
A Medical Review Officer (MRO) is a licensed physician who is an expert in drug and alcohol testing and in the application of federal regulations to the testing process.

Will (marijuana) second hand smoke make my test positive?
No, second hand smoke does not cause levels that would trigger a positive test.