Question

Describe the various methods used to detect the presence of drugs in the body, i.e. drug testing, and detail the strenghts and weaknesses of each method.

Answer 1

The various methods used to detect the presence of drugs in our body are as .

1.

Oral Fluid

It is also known as saliva, it has gained popularity as a sample used in drug testing.By this method we can detect drug use within a very short time after usage, its used reliably detecting substances an hour or less after ingestion and up to three days .

Strengths of this method .

1.by this method drug use can be detected shortly after usage. It can be detected immediately after ingestion of drug.

2. Its Adulterating or substituting is very difficult,as it isbserved method of drug testing.

3.Its easily administrated and easily collected. Collection process is simple.

4.in this method donor does not face the shy factor enough specimen is obtained .

5.it can be used to test for alcohol as well as illicit drugs.

Weakness:

1.The window of detection for this method is not that long as compared to urine testing.

2.Its used for only fewer drugs .

Hair Follicles

Hair folllicle are used divulge your history of drug use. Drug tests that employ hair follicles as samples are generally used to determine an individual’s history of drug usage as opposed to a single occurrence. This methods of drug testing is irreplaceable when it comes to person’s use of drugs over time.

Strengths

1.It provides larger window of detection .

2.It cannot be adulterated.

3.samples are easily available.

Weakness.

1.In this method of drug testing drugs cannot be detected immediately after ingestion with a hair follicle sample. Normally, three to five days must pass before drug usage is detectable.

2. clean-shaven.donors can avoid the test.

3.This drug test often require a period of usage before drugs are detectable..

4. In this only a limited number of drugs can be included .

5.The collection process for hair follicles is somewhat invasive.

Sweat & Blood

Sweat, collected through a wipe or patch is used to produce umulative record of prior drug use. .This method of drug testing has high variability because low concentration of drugs are detectable addition,

There are limited number of devices used for this testing , and the process is expensive and less established than other methods..

Blood testing is expensive and makes it less practical .Parent drug is detected in this method..They also have very short detection window.

Urinalysis; .

This method is used to detect opioids and other illicit drugs. It is most commin type of drug detection. Its primarily used because of its low cost .Sample is easily collected if the donor is not shy .

It can be adulterated by consuming lot of fluids intentionally. Its not helpful in testing alcohol .

Breath test

Its most common test used for finding out how much alcohol is currently in the blood. The person being tested blows into a breath-alcohol device, and the results are given as a number, known as the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), which shows the level of alcohol in the blood at the time the test was taken. It has not that variety and flexibility. Its easy to test for alcohol. Its cheap method also.

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