How accurate is drug testing?
There are a variety of methods available to test for illegal substances. These methods are accurate and reliable if the following two areas of drug testing are rigidly adhered to: (1) Use of confirmation assay. If a positive result occurs, the specimen is then tested again by a different chemical method to confirm the positive. (2) Quality control procedures. A good laboratory will document how and by whom the sample is handled from the time it is take from the individual, through the laboratory, until the final assay result is tabulated. This record is referred to as the “chain of custody” for the sample.
