The Sweat and Saliva Drug Test Methods

There are several ways by which drug abuse tests are done. Of the different types of drug testing, random drug testing is considered the most effective. Many private corporations and government agencies use it as part of their pre-employment requirements. Drug rehabilitation centers, correctional institutions, the police and military also employ this type of testing. department of transportation 

Lately, some schools have been mandated to perform random drug testing on both their employees and students. Parents may also use it on their teenage children.

However, there are those who criticize random drug testing, saying it's a violation of privacy. An example critics give is when an employee, during working hours, is subjected to the test when he's not even intoxicated. The presumption of guilt involved here is what they are most concerned about.

Of course, deterrence of drug abuse, more than anything else, is the objective in any type of substance use testing.

As there are different types of drug testing, so are there different methods. Two of the several drug abuse tests are the saliva drug test and the sweat test.

Saliva drug screen:

This drug abuse test, which is also called oral fluid-based drug screen, is employed to detect use of a substance during the past few days. Because of its convenience, the saliva screen is turning out to be the most frequently used. In addition, results from this test are difficult to corrupt.

Also, this test makes possible the easy implementation of random drug testing in places of work (private or government corporations), sports agencies or associations, hospitals, and schools.

Saliva drug screen can detect any of the CNS stimulants (cocaine or crack), opiates (morphine or heroin), benzodiazepines (diazepam or flurazepam), methamphetamines ("ice" or "speed"), amphetamines, or phencyclidines from time of use up to three days. It can detect cannabis, such as marijuana or hashish, one hour after use up to twenty-four hours.

Sweat drug screen:

In this drug abuse test, patches are attached to the skin to collect sweat over a period of about two weeks. The patches are designed with security features to detect surreptitious removal and re-attachment. The patches are sent to a laboratory for analysis immediately after the test period. If the individual has used any drug during the test period, the patches will test positive for that.

The sweat drug screen is almost exclusively used by agencies or institutions concerned with use of drugs over long periods (read: drug abuse or addiction), particularly when it's impractical to use urine drug screen (another method of drug abuse testing). Child protective services and such other government agencies or departments are examples of these.