Marijuana Drug Testing To Be Done on Iditarod Mushers

An interesting musher news item today - for Iditarod mushers, 2010's race is going to be a little different than the last. According to Matias Saari at the Fairbanks Daily News Miner drug and alcohol testing rules will be truly enforced for the first time during the 2010 race. You can check out the marijuana drug testing article in full by clicking the link.

The dogs have been tested for a long time, according to the writer. Now it is the humans' turn. The article raises a few questions - what to do with medical marijuana users, like returning champion and cancer survivor Lance Mackey? Some mushers say they've never seen hard drugs during the race, although marijuana use is seen from time to time. Certainly the Iditarod is not typically what you have in mind when you think of recreational drug settings! But it turns out that even in the cold of Alaska, you may need a home drug test.

And if you were a frequent smoker before the race began (perhaps like Lance Mackey), any use during the race would likely be detected by a urine based marijuana drug test. Because for frequent smokers, marijuana can be detected in urine for up to 15, even 30 days. Last time Mackey won, he finished in just under 10 days.

Especially when medical marijuana is involved, these things become complicated. Drug testing certainly seems like a good idea though when you are racing through fearsome conditions in the wilderness.

Hopefully everyone will enjoy themselves safely in one of America's most interesting races!

Urine Marijuana Drug Tests Are Being Used on Stronger Pot Than Ever...Probably

Today we tackle the question - is marijuana stronger than ever or is that a myth? People disagree and I will try to present to the marijuana drug test buyer both sides of the story.

The University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project put out a report this May suggesting the average amount of THC in marijuana is twice as much as it was 2 1/2 decades ago. Now it is 10.1% - in 1983, the amount of THC in pot was just under 4%, according to the report. If you want to buy a marijuana drug test, what does this mean for you?

Maybe not exactly what you think. A blogger at the Marijuana Policy Project, Bruce Mirken, has a few criticisms of the report. He points out that the 10.1% figure came about because hashish, hash oil, and cannabis were lumped together (did you know that hashish was so potent? THC makes up an average of 20.76% of its content). Mirken suggests that the potency of marijuana may be inching up, but not as much as the report says.

Does this mean we should no longer marijuana urine drug test? Well no. You can look at the charts at the Office of National Drug Control Policy marijuana drug potency page and see that potent marijuana is more common, if nothing else. Plus, marijuana use remains illegal in the United States for the most part.

THC content aside, the home drug test, urine or saliva, is so accurate now that it picks up marijuana use in all degrees of potency. You cannot escape detection by smoking weaker weed. A urine marijuana drug test for example meets federal guidelines for drug testing and measures amounts as small as 50 nanograms per mililiter.

There are many reasons why someone might buy a marijuana drug test. While the jury may still be out on the increase in potency of marijuana today, rest assured that the potency of the home drug test for pot is not in question. You can purchase one at Home Health Testing today for only $2.25.

Marijuana Urine Test Still In DoT Marijuana Regulations

Two Stories:

Although the new marijuana regulations issued by the Department of Justice ask prosecutors not to arrest medical marijuana users or people who provide medical marijuana in compliance with state laws, the Department of Transportation has not altered its policy vis-a-vis drug testing at all. A marijuana urine test or marijuana saliva test will still face those in "safety-sensitive occupations," even if the drug use was prescribed, and a positive result cannot be excused with a prescription. Both test types can be obtained in home drug test form for the parent, employer, or employee concerned about marijuana use.

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On the other side of the world, New Zealand is preparing its roadside marijuana drug test regimen. A driver who seems impaired must first take a breath alcohol test, and if they pass one as well as a check of physical signs of impairment (test walking, eye pupil size, etc.) they will have to submit to a drug test. Law enforcement in NZ has found an unlikely ally for this project - NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), not exactly friends of a marijuana urine test, has shown support, saying driving while impaired is not a reflection of the responsible marijuana use they advocate.

However, NORML's Mr. Fowlie contests the marijuana drug testing / general drug testing methodology used by New Zealand law enforcement, saying it would not test for a current "high" but rather result in arrests based on residual marijuana. From the article: "So whether or not they were impaired at the time of driving, which should be the issue, it now becomes just another way to bust pot smokers simply because these residues hang around."

When choosing a home drug test for marijuana, this is an important consideration. Do you want to know if someone is high now, or has used the drug recently, or in the past 90 days? A hair drug test can tell you a drug history of up to a year if body hair is used, while a saliva drug test can tell you if someone is high at the moment. Urine tests can detect marijuana from approximately 2-5 hours after use for as long as 15 to 30 days after use. For the consumer, these facts are important to know, and you can see all the detection times at Home Health Testing's detection test times page.

Marijuana Drug Test Rules in the DoT

Some people already find a marijuana urine drug test to be embarrassing, even when taken in a completely private area. But these concerns are not a priority in the new guidelines set out for commercial transportation drug testing. The Chicago Tribune reports on the new test requirements facing bus drivers, truckers, pilots, and train conductors, among others. Now anyone who has failed or refused prior drug or alcohol tests will have to urinate in front of the person administering the test.

This new rule about the marijuana urine drug test and other drug tests administered by the DoT applies to both men and women. It's likely it won't make some people happy, but it's quite possible the majority of DoT regulated workers will applaud it. According to the Tribune, some independent studies show illegal drug use in the transportation industry at 10 percent. Working in conjunction with somebody who abuses illegal drugs, especially at the workplace, makes many already dangerous transportation jobs even more dangerous.

However, for the DoT the marijuana urine drug test may not be the best option - and the humiliation of urinating in front of someone seems unfair. A saliva drug test could give you very accurate and non-intrusive results on a short term basis for many drugs. To compare, check out this chart. This method has the additional benefit of being able to indicate current impairment. A hair drug test could also be extremely helpful in identifying long-term users. Perhaps also useful could be the device attached to this home drug test, which has a strip in it that checks the temperature of the urine sample to ensure that it is fresh.

Though urine testing can be embarrassing, you can save yourself some embarrassment by using a home drug test with a temperature check strip, like the marijuana urine drug test from Home Health Testing. The test is easy to use, 99% accurate, and meets the same SAMHSA standards used by the DoT in their testing. Buy one here today!

Interesting New Study on Marijuana

It seems marijuana is constantly the subject of scientific study, whether it's developing a marijuana urine test or studying new use trends. The Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse in their July 1 issue published a new study on smoking, drinking, and marijuana use among teens. This study ties in cigarette smoking with under-age alcohol consumption and marijuana use, which suggests that cigarettes are a "gateway drug." In sum, if a teenager feels that cigarette smoking is acceptable, they are much more likely to use alcohol or marijuana. For a parent thinking about purchasing a marijuana urine test, these interactions may be interesting to watch.

Another slightly older study provides more interesting facts about marijuana use in teens and adults. This SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) study highlights the varying rates of drug use across the country, state by state. First-time ever marijuana use was the highest in Vermont (2.5%) and lowest in Utah (1.6%). These statistics may interest someone thinking about purchasing a marijuana drug test for the first time. Nationally in 2006-7 (the period covered in this study) 10.2% of persons 12 or older reported marijuana use within that year. 12.8% of teenagers (12 to 17 year olds) nationally used marijuana at least once in the past year (see this table). To read the full report, you can click this link.

Marijuana then, plays a considerable role in our lives. Athletes are screened for it, employees are screened for it, and children as well. You can put this power in your own hands by purchasing a marijuana urine test from Home Health Testing. The test is 98% accurate and FDA approved. Although the drug may be illegal in most situations in the United States, testing for it is not. You can screen at home with a convenient home drug test.

Who Uses A Marijuana Drug Test?

Marijuana drug tests are used by people of all stripes in all sorts of situations - parents, employees, employers, schools and coaches. As I posted recently, 84% of employers require drug tests when hiring new employees. Today we'll look at an interesting case studies of how drug use affects particular industries.

William F. Current in "Indian Country Today," writes about the gaming industry, which is often said to have a high rate of drug abuse. He offers this 2007 statistic from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): 10.4 % of full-time workers in the “Amusement, Gambling and Recreation Industries” admit to “past-month” illicit drug use. 18.4% of "Food Services" and "Drinking Places" industries' workers admit to "past-month" illicit drug use.

It is no wonder then that drug testing proves so popular with employers. Mr. Current provides another interesting statistic that suggests why drug testing is used in the workplace so frequently:

"A compelling study by the U.S. Postal Service found that substance abusers, when compared to non-substance abusing coworkers, are involved in 55 percent more accidents, and sustain 85 percent more on-the-job injuries according to the SAID Web site." [emphasis supplied.]

Those are pretty astonishing figures. SAID is the Substance Abuse Information Database, maintained by the US Department of Labor. Statistics there too suggest why an employer might want to marijuana drug test their employees: "75 percent of the nation’s current illegal drug users are employed—and 3.1 percent say they have actually used illegal drugs before or during work hours."

Employers don't necessarily need to outsource drug testing - they can use a home drug test to meet their needs. Why pay someone to come into your workplace when you can buy an FDA approved urine drug test?

As Drug-Free Work Week comes around the corner (it's happening October 19-25 this year), it could be time for some employers to think about the usefulness of home drug tests. Hair, saliva, and urine tests - even substance tests - are all available at Home Health Testing.

How to Choose A Marijuana Drug Test

Since marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in America - more than 94 million Americans have tried it at least once according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse - it is no surprise that there are a variety of ways to drug test for marijuana. Each of type of test has a unique selling point. A marijuana drug test can come in one of a few forms: a hair, saliva, or urine drug test.

Choosing the right test requires identifying what you want to learn from the test. One very important aspect of this is knowing the detection window offered by a drug test. This handy chart helps explain. You also need to ask yourself what type of material you'd like to handle for the test. Urine can be a biological hazard, hair may be difficult to collect, and drugs can be detected in saliva for only a relatively short time.

In the workplace, the urine drug test is most common, in part because the hair drug test is so expensive. According to the Ledger's Gary White, hair testing is about 60% more expensive than urine testing for employers. But the most interesting statistic of the article is this one - according to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 84% of employers required new hires to pass drug screenings.

This remarkable number suggests the prevalence of drug testing today. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), a federal agency, has set guidelines for laboratories handling the urine tests of federal employees. For a marijuana drug test, that cutoff level is 50 nanograms per mililiter. If a test is positive at that level, then a confirmatory test is conducted at a smaller, even more precise level.

Home Health Testing offers a number of marijuana drug tests for consumer use that meet the SAMHSA guidelines. These tests include the iCup and the urine stick test. These home drug tests, and more can be purchased at very affordable prices here, Home Health Testing's marijuana related products page.