Hair follicle drug testing

There are many types of drugs in existence. Some are meant to increase strength, endurance, and overall performance while others are meant to get you high. The most common types of drugs used by athletes are steroids or hormones that mimic testosterone. Non-athletes, on the other hand, often smoke weed, use cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and other types of drugs that give them the most intense highs. Drug testing is usually done in a variety of industries for a number of different reasons, which may include; creating a level playing field for athletes, enhancing safety and reducing health care costs and employee turnover. The following are some of the industries that normally conduct drug tests on a regular basis:

i) Sporting Industry

In the Olympics, IAAF events and other types of major sporting events, athletes are often required to provide samples for testing just before they compete as well as when they are training in the off-season. These samples are usually tested to ensure athletes do not use drugs at any given time. This is to ensure that there is a level playing field for all the athletes. After all, it is not fair for clean athletes to compete with athletes who have drug-induced endurance, strength, and performance. 

Any athlete who tests positive for banned substances, can be banned for a couple of years or for life and stripped of all the medals they might have won while under the influence of the performance-enhancing drug. 

ii) Transportation Industry

Public transport is supposed to be safe for all. Airlines, train operators, bus companies, ferry operators and taxi drivers are all required to go to work while sober. Operating a public transport vehicle while intoxicated or while under the influence of a drug is a serious crime. If an accident occurs, the driver can be charged with multiple counts of felony DUI or other serious criminal charges, especially if someone died as a result of the accident. Airlines usually have a zero tolerance policy for drug use, so they normally conduct random drug tests on their pilots and flight crew to ensure everyone in control of the plane is completely free of drugs.

iii) Construction Industry

A construction zone can be a dangerous place to work in when some of the workers come to work while intoxicated or they come with drugs they intend to use while working. Imagine an excavator being operated by an intoxicated operator. In addition to putting other workers at risk, the operator may end up damaging costly equipment as well as underground utilities. When working from a height, an intoxicated construction worker might forget to use their safety harness, leading to a fall from that height. This can lead to a fatality. To ensure the construction zone is a drug-free environment, most construction companies normally carry out drug tests on their workers on a regular basis. They also search their workers to ensure they do not go to work with drugs on them. Some firms even carry out breathe tests every morning. 

How People Cheat Drug Tests

i) Full Body Detoxification

When expecting to undergo a drug test in a couple of days, drug users often go into a detox program to flush out all the drugs and toxins they may have in their bodies. There are a number of detox programs that are known to be effective in flushing out toxins from the body. Some programs only take a day to work while others can take a couple of weeks. If successful, users can expect to test negative when they provide a saliva, urine or blood sample for drug testing purposes. However, they may need to cut their hair since the follicles will contain traces of the drugs used. 

ii) Hair Detoxification

There are many hair detoxification shampoos that you can use to remove traces of drugs and toxins from your hair. The shampoo should be used to wash hair at least twice a day. Hair must also be cut regularly to remove the long history of drug use. After the hair detox program, a person can test negative for drugs when a hair drug test is done. 

iii) Fake Urine and Urinators

There are human grade urine products on the market as well as urinators that look exactly like the human penis. When asked to produce the sample, the subject only needs to whip out the urinator and produce the human grade urine sample instead of their urine.