What are the advantages and disadvantages of testing using the three most common methods: urine, oral fluid, and hair?
Deciding upon which test method to use is dependent on what the purpose of the testing is. Oral Fluid For the majority of illicit drugs, once the active substance enters the blood stream it will be only minutes until it is detectable in oral fluid. However, after anywhere from 12 hours to 3 days it will become untraceable in oral fluid. Therefore, oral fluid is a good medium to choose for drug testing where it is important to know if someone has recently taken something and is possible still under the influence of its effects. Urine It can take up to 6 hours before any substance becomes detectable in the urine. The length of time that any particular substance can be detected using urine is dependent on several factors: frequency of use before the test, quantity and quality of the drug, and lifestyle and metabolism of the person. However, most illicit drugs can be detected for a few days in urine if consumed only once. For someone regularly using, the time of detection can increase to s
