As the owner of a company, it’s likely you are familiar with receiving positive drug test results after screening your employees. This can be a very difficult scenario to deal with. Especially if the positive results are due to the use of CBD products and not actually marijuana. The employee may claim that the results are inaccurate. Or that their high CBD level was from using a product that doesn’t contain much THC to their knowledge. 

The growing popularity of using CBD products to cure various ailments has made company drug testing a difficult process. Many employers may see a high THC-COOH amount on test results and automatically assume the worst. But that is not always the case. 

Many employers want to find out more about interpreting drug test results. By doing this, they can find out if their employee is being honest or not. But are there any options for those who want to dig deeper into drug test results?

What Employers Can and Cannot Find Out From a Positive Drug Test 

Unlike a breathalyzer test used  to check alcohol levels, a urine drug test is unable to report the level of the drug used or the degree of intoxication. A urine drug test is capable of identifying the type of drug used. It cannot tell the frequency of use or level of impairment. This can discourage a lot of employers who want to find out more about a positive test result. 

Drug test results can also provide false positives. That’s because they do not take some factors into consideration. These can include the donor’s hydration level at the time of the test. The concentration of urine will vary based on how hydrated the individual is. The hydration amount can also affect the drug level that shows up in the test results. The drug level in a sample from a hydrated individual will be lower than the level from someone who is dehydrated. 

A drug testing lab is capable of determining the concentration of urine by finding out the amount of creatine in the sample. Our kidneys remove creatine at a fast pace. That means its level can provide more information about a positive drug test result. 

How Long Do Drug Test Results Take?

Drug testing can play an important role in the hiring process for any company. Employers want to be sure they are hiring a reliable and trustworthy person. The amount of time it takes to get results back from a urine drug test can vary. It depends on the type of test ordered and what the initial results were. There are different drug tests that screen for different drugs. The length of time a drug test can determine that a substance is still present in the body can also vary. 

For the most common type of drug and alcohol test – a urine test – negative results typically take 24-72 business hours after the specimen is collected. However, non-negative results can take up to a week and a half for confirmed results. This is because non-negative results go through a confirmation testing process. In many cases the Medical Review Officer takes time to try to reach out to the donor as well. Therefore, in such an instance these results take longer than the average 1-3 business days. 

The 3 Main Types of Drug Tests 

The three different types of drug tests use blood, hair, or urine. Urine tests are the most popular for the hiring process. That’s because the offer the fastest turnaround time and are less expensive. 

Testing using hair can take longer than urine tests. Still there are some employers who prefer this method. That’s because a hair sample test can detect drugs in the system much farther back than either a blood or urine test can. 

Blood tests are rarely used by employers. That’s because they only detect drugs for up to 48 hours. While the results often return quickly, the accuracy is not very good for this purpose. 

Consult With Our Team For More Details About Positive THC Results 

If you are an employer and have questions about positive drug test results, you can get more information from our experts by giving us a call today. Or you can visit our website to find out more about the drug screening services we have available.