A drug test is usually carried out to assess the mental and physical competencies of any individual. Addiction to drugs is usually a sign of emotional weakness and prolonged use can impact physical aspects as well. At the organizational level, a drug test ensures that people with history of substance abuse are not made part of the workforce. People on drugs can be a liability for the organization, as their behavior and attitude may be volatile, aggressive or entirely radical.
Although organizations take steps to spot individuals with history of substance abuse, some candidates may try to hide their tracks. If you are tasked with the responsibility of hiring the right candidates, you need to be aware of all the tricks that people use to cheat a drug test. Here are some ways, as to how to cheat a drug test.
Drink large amount of water - The simplest, yet effective trick is to drink large amount of water. If someone can skip a meal, the intake of water can be increased even more. The outcome will be increased urine, which will be in diluted form. If the process of drinking water and urination can be started 6-8 hours before the drug test, the resulting urine will have relatively lesser amount of traces of drugs. As a result, the drug test may come out as negative. Organizations need to identify a laboratory that can detect urine dilution, based on which, the candidate can be asked to take a retest.
Using someone's else's urine - If the testing procedure is not clearly defined or not strictly enforced, it is possible that a candidate might submit someone else's urine in place of their own. Since the candidate cannot be asked to collect the sample in front of everyone, there is always a possibility of submitting someone else's urine. Many candidates even buy synthetic urine online to cheat a drug test. Manual frisking before the drug test can reduce the possibility of someone else's urine being submitted.
Adding adulterants to urine - There are various chemicals that can be used to adulterate the urine sample. As only a small amount is needed, it can easily be hidden in any of the clothing and accessories. Some chemicals often used to adulterate urine samples include peroxidase, peroxide, nitrite, glutaraldehyde and pyridinium chlorochromate. Even easily available iodine can be used to destroy traces of drugs in urine sample. Household items such as salt, bleach, soap and certain eye drops can also be used to adulterate the urine sample. Organizations need to hire a good laboratory that can detect such adulterants.
Detox drinks / tablets - There are a number of commercially available medications that can reduce the amount of drug traces in urine. These detox drinks / tablets work even better when combined with drinking large amounts of water. Diuretics are also often used in combination with large amounts of water to cheat a drug test.
Delaying drug test - Some individuals may just try to postpone the drug test till the time the traces of drugs are naturally eliminated from the system. There's usually a specific time period within which a drug can be detected. It can vary based on the level of consumption and the individual's age, weight, height, health factors and metabolism. If you feel the candidate is deliberately delaying a drug test, it may point to a history of drug abuse.