Flakka [fla-kuh] What is it? Flakka is a synthetic stimulant of the cathinone class that was developed in the 1960s. The drug is technically called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) but more commonly known as “flakka.” Flakka gets its name from Spanish slang for a beautiful woman (“la flaca”) and first became popular in Florida before surging across … Read More →

Fearing a positive result with significant consequences, participants are often willing to go to great lengths to thwart drug tests. They may embrace creative techniques or attempt to foil the results with newfangled technology. Drug test tampering (also known as adulteration) refers to the ingestion of a foreign substance or the addition of a foreign substance to … Read More →

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2/Spice) [Sin-th-eh-dik Can-uh-bin-oidz] What is it? Synthetic cannabinoids, also known as K2 or “Spice,” are a mixture of herbs and spices that are typically sprayed with synthetic compounds chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The chemical compounds typically include HU-210, HU-211, JWH-018, and JWH-073. K2 is commonly purchased in head … Read More →

Whether you’re an employer hiring new workers or an applicant seeking a job, you might wonder how pre-employment drug testing laws will affect your search. The federal government heavily regulates some safety-sensitive industries, like transportation, nuclear energy, and military contracting, and requires pre-employment drug testing in certain circumstances. Beyond this, state governments are largely in … Read More →

Methamphetamine [meth-am-fet-uh-meen] What is it? Methamphetamine, commonly shortened to meth, is a synthetic stimulant. It is chemically similar to amphetamine, a drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. Meth is commonly manufactured in illegal and hidden laboratories. Many mix various forms of the stimulant amphetamine or other derivatives to boost its potency. Pseudoephedrine, a common … Read More →

A specimen used in drug testing may be stored, transported, and reviewed several times between the moment a donor provides it and the end of the final test. If you want to ensure that no one adulterates, substitutes, or otherwise tampers with a specimen, you will need to preserve a paper trail of the process. … Read More →

When most people think about methodologies of drug testing – whether at work, at school, for a drug court, or in a treatment center – they think about pee in a cup. While urine is perhaps the most common specimen used to test for illicit drugs (source), it is just one of many options. Before you decide … Read More →

In the past, many schools turned to popular programs like D.A.R.E. to prevent drug and alcohol use amongst students. However, researchers have repeatedly shown that D.A.R.E. offers no significant benefits (source). To effectively prevent drug use amongst students, more and more schools are choosing to use random student drug testing. Often modeled after drug-free programs … Read More →

Some drugs are natural, meaning that the plants from which they are derived exist in nature without any help from humankind: opium poppies (heroin, morphine, codeine), coca leaves (cocaine), psilocybin mushrooms (shrooms), and marijuana. Other drugs are synthetic, which means they are created using man-made chemicals, not natural ingredients. For example, K2 (also known as … Read More →

MDMA [im-dee-im-ay] What is it? MDMA, chemically known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a drug that acts as both a stimulant, producing an energizing effect, and a psychedelic, causing distortions in time and perception. It was developed in the early 1900s in Germany to be used to synthesize other pharmaceuticals. In the 1970s, the drug traveled to … Read More →