Cannabis is one of the most used drugs of abuse in the UK. Because of this, many employers will screen employees for cannabis drug use using cannabis drug test kits. Often an employer will be start testing for cannabis using a multi-panel drug test. Most of these types of are able to detect THC, the active compound in cannabis. Metabolites from the breakdown of THC are detectable in occasional users of Cannabis for up to 5 days, while they can be detected for as long as three months after chronic use of the drug. On average, however, THC will show up on drug tests for around 25-27 days at most.
The reason cannabis is detectable for so long after using it is because THC is fat soluble, which means it tends to linger in the fatty tissue, then it is gradually released into the bloodstream and filtered by the kidney to be excreted in the urine over weeks. It is impossible to determine exactly how long it will take THC will be detectable in a person. It depends on individual metabolism, as well how much and how frequently it is used.
Cannabis Drug Test Kits – Urine
THC may be the most common drug test administered. Urine tests are both fairly inexpensive and easy to administer, so are used more often than other types of tests. The cheapest type of cannabis drug test kits that you can buy are single drug test kit that just screen for THC.
There are two main steps to a urine test for THC. In the first step, the subject provides a urine sample under tightly controlled conditions at a testing facility. The subject may be required to remove their clothing and wear a hospital gown. The purpose of this is the ensure the sample comes from the subject and that sample from someone else is not passed off as the subject’s own.
The subject will then be escorted into a restroom where the sample is given. Water in the toilet is dyed blue to prevent watering down the sample. Water supply to the sink will be shut off for the same reason. A staff member will be ready to take the sample as soon as it is obtained and will test the sample. Standard protocol includes testing the temperature of the sample to ensure it is consistent with normal body temperature.
Cannabis Drug Test Kits – Cut-Off Levels
Cannabis drug test kits are regulated so that the results can be reliably interpreted. The unit of measurement in drug tests is nanograms per millilitre. A positive test on a urine sample is 50 nanograms per millilitre of urine or more. A positive result is confirmed with a follow up test. If the result of the follow up test is also 50 nanograms or more per millilitre of urine will result in consequences.