Drug testing has become a popular form of quality evaluation in companies,

organizations and governments across the world. Due to the issues relating to over dosing on over the counter medications in employees, drug testing has become a way to identify those who could use rehabilitated as well as filter out those who are not deemed suitable for certain positions, such as law enforcement.

There are several kinds of drug testing. The methods utilized by companies is usually determined on how sensitive the placement you are in or trying to get is. Low level or beginning placements will tend to make use of urine tests only. These tests only determine if there has been any narcotic usage during the time the narcotic remains in your system. The levels of drugs in urine can be missed if it is bordering the lifespan of the drugs they are looking for. Urine tests can be checked immediately through use of test cards.

Drug testing utilizing blood samples are usually used by law enforcement agencies, as these tests are extremely sensitive, and can show narcotic usage that urine samples cannot. Drugs will show until the last remnants are eliminated, which makes this a good choice for random drug tests. Blood tests are more expensive than urine tests, and require lab time to complete.

Saliva tests are almost exclusively used by insurance agencies, as they can be done whenever those being tested and a representative of the insurance company meet. Saliva tests, like blood tests, are more expensive and require lab time to complete.

The last type of narcotic testing used is the hair test. Hair tests are almost impossible to avoid, tricky to fool, and are used for the most sensitive of placements. The hair samples can be taken from any section of the body, so shaving your head to avoid having to take the test will not help. These tests are also so touchy that the results can be formed into a six month time line of any drugs that you may have used. This is due to the fact that the drugs form into the hairs onto your body and are embedded into the hair cells as they are created.

As technology for drug testing has improved, the standards for sensitive job placements has as well. If you have used illegal drugs in the past, it is suggested that you are clean of any drugs for at least six months before applying for any sensitive work or government agency.