Friday, January 7, 2011

The THC Drug Testing for Marijuana at Work Place

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. It is also called Cannabis as it is made up of the parts of Cannabis sativa, hemp plant. Many preparations from the plant are used as psychoactive drugs. The main psychoactive chemical compound of the drug is delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Certain tests can be performed in order to detect whether a person has consumed marijuana. This is done by the quantitative analysis of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolite, THC-COOH. The THC Test is one among those drug tests. Many of the organizations and businesses perform the THC drug testing at the workplace. The time that marijuana stays in the body varies based on the amount of its consumption. Also it is based on certain factors such as health, age, and metabolism of the individual. Mostly it is available for 3-30 days after consumption.


THC test is very specifically important in employment of some sensitive positions such as security and those in army. In order to act as a deterrent for drug use, THC drug testing is performed in schools, companies and government organizations.


THC test may be performed using blood, urine, saliva, hair, and sweat. But the most commonly used sample for the test is urine. A particular cut-off levels for the drug are set by regulatory organizations. The urine test detects 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (9-carboxy THC), the primary metabolite of THC. Many other types of tests that detect the presence of THC metabolites are immunoassay tests, and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Certain commercially available cards are present in the market to perform the THC Testing. These cards are 95% to 98% accurate. The cut-off levels for the drug testing are set to that of SAMHSA levels. This method of THC test with cards is very easy way to detect the THC metabolite at a cut-off of 50ng/ml. It means that the test results positive when the concentration of the drug is greater than 50ng/ml. The THC test cards are approved by FDA but it only provides a preliminary analytical test result. For obtaining a more accurate analytical result, a more specific chemical methods like gas chromatography must be used.



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