The specter of drugs testing at your place of employment is a worrying cloud many recreational drug users live under. To add to the concern there has also been a noticeable increase in the use of drug testing kits used by law enforcement officers.

So, let’s have a look at some well-established guidelines on drug testing relating to how long traces of a drug can remain in the body and give positive readings (positive for the testers, not for the tested!).

It must be remembered that a variety of factors need to be added into the mix, but these guidelines are generally acknowledged by the medical profession as being reliable.

3 separate categories:

There are 3 regularly used ways in which drug testing is carried out. These are through the blood, urine and hair.

Testing using hair follicles is the least used and drug users will be relieved to hear this because positive results stretch much further back in terms of detection.

This type of testing is worthy of a topic on its own so we will concentrate on the 2 most common methods for those undergoing a drugs test. The results will clearly show the difference between the length of time drugs stay in the bloodstream and can be detected from a urine sample.

It is certainly worth repeating that these statistics are guidelines only and results can, and do vary.

Comment on alcohol and cannabis (marijuana)

We will start with alcohol which is the only legal substance in the list, but it is one that countless people fall foul of.

Cannabis (marijuana) is also included and while laws for the use of this substance are changing in various parts of the world, many users will still find this a useful inclusion.

  • Alcohol – It remains in the blood for around 10-12 hours and traces can be found in urine for 3-5 days.
  • Amphetamines: 12 hours in the blood and between 1-3 days in urine.
  • Cannabis: 2 weeks in the blood and between 1 week and 1 month in urine.
  • Cocaine: 1-2 days in the blood and 3-4 days in urine.
  • Heroin: 12 hours in the blood and 3-4 days in urine.
  • LSD: 2-3 hours in the blood and 1-3 days in urine.
  • Ecstasy (MDMA): 1-2 days in the blood and 3-4 days in urine.
  • Crystal Meth. (Methamphetamine): 1-3 days in the blood and 3-6 days in urine.
  • Methadone: 24-36 hours in the blood and 3-4 days in urine.
  • Morphine: 6-8 hours in the blood and 2-3 days in your urine.

Be conscious of the risk:

Temptation has strong pulling power, but please remember that if you indulge in drug use, once taken it is in your system.

Anyone who may be subject to random drug testing would be wise to leave illegal substances alone, those who have scheduled drug tests can at least manage their use and abstain well in advance of the test date.

There is also an important point to make for those who are job hunting. An increasing numbers of companies are making a pre-employment drugs test one of the pre-requisites of any job offer, and that regular testing may well be part and parcel of the position offered to you.