Drug Testing Research

[AlphaFrog]

Ok, we've got a guy at work that we need to get a clean drug test from. I'm looking for some solid info on how long THC stays in your system. We had a different guy fail his drug test and he "cleaned himself out", but if you don't do that, how long is it before we can send him out to try to retest?? He's a pretty big guy, and he admitted to a pretty heavy problem - and he's one of our few decent workers (that's how the construction industry goes, unfortunately), so we need him clean. Does anyone know of any websites that give solid answers? I've looked on WebMD and can't find it there.

[SydneyK]

I think it depends on how often and how much he uses. That might be why you're having a hard time finding anything. We had a similar problem where I worked several years ago, and the results unfortunately weren't helpful. The guy smoked at least once a day, sometimes more. And, he had evidently kept this habbit up for 15 years or more. He just couldn't keep himself clean long enough to "clean himself out".

Maybe you could tell him when you want to test, encourage him to stay clean until that point, and also encourage him to look into products that somehow disguise the THC. I've also heard that if you drink lots and lots of water before your test, it will help it come out clean.

My guess is that he would have an idea of what to get. Generally, people who have a habbit like that are aware of ways to mask it.

This probably didn't help much. Sorry.

[33girl]

30 days.

Oh, and have him drink Golden Seal tea.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally posted by 33girl
30 days.

Oh, and have him drink Golden Seal tea.

Our drug testing place said 30 days was minimum for an 80 lb woman who smoked pot once. For a 250lb male who is habitual, she said she had no idea, but it would be a heck of a lot longer.

I've been reading everything from detox sites to Rutgers Med and everything said something different.

Basically, the whole point is my boss legally needs him to have a clean test or we could get busted big time from OSHA, but she doesn't want to waste her $ by sending him too early.

[33girl]

That's what the tea is for.

Can't your boss get one of those over the counter tests and see what it says before sending him to the official place?

[SydneyK]

33 is on to something... buy some home kits at WalMart and test before sending the guy to wherever he has to go to get tested.

I've heard that some (ok, many) places don't test properly. They don't have anyone escort the person and watch to make sure they don't provide a sample from someone else. If your boss is that concerned, maybe she should look into those devices that look like a penis and have a storage unit (aka "bag") that keeps a clean sample at body temperature. Just make sure he doesn't get the clean sample from a pregnant woman. That's a sure fire way to get busted.

[Lil' Hannah]

Why bother having a drug policy in place if you hire drug users?

[AlphaFrog]

We have the over the counter kind too, but those cost $25/each. The regular drug stest costs $40, not much savings.

It's seriously pathetic everything we're doing to help this guy pass his test. If it were anyone else but him, their ass would have been fired, end of story.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
Why bother having a drug policy in place if you hire drug users?

I asked that question and everyone looked at me like I was an idiot...apparently, it's just a construction "thing", and if we hired only "clean" workers, we wouldn't have any...

[Lil' Hannah]

Well for what it's worth, I've been told that the length of time THC stays in your system depends on the amount of fat in your body and frequency of use. For a big guy who uses often, it's going to stay in his system for a while. 33girl's 30 days sounds about right to me.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by AXiD670
This thread is an HR nightmare.

Sing it, sista.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally posted by AXiD670
This thread is an HR nightmare.

Our COMPANY is an HR nightmare!!

I posted this in the "What you want to say outloud at work" thread, but it applies here as well:

New Changes to the Company Policy:
"We reserve the right to make any changes at any time by adding to, deleting, or changing an existing policy. The rules set out in this notice are as complete as we can reasonably make them. However, they are not necessarily all-inclusive, because circumstances that we have not anticipated may arise. The company may vary from the policies and provisions if in its sole discretion, the circumstances require. "


To me this reads: Here's the policy, but it doesn't matter, because we'll do what we want anyway.

[ADPi Conniebama]

I am in the same boat (a little bit). We have a "Zero Tolerance" policy at my business for drugs. But, actually I consider it a "don't ask, don't tell" type of thing. However, if they get hurt on the job then the first thing that happens is a drug test. But, I think that is a "workman's comp" thing.

I, personally, would tell the guy, if you have the time to give him, that he will be tested in 30 days, so it is up to him to keep his job. I mean, if the guy doesn't care about his job enough to stay clean for 30 days then . . . . I know, I know, he is a good worker. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by 33girl
30 days.

Oh, and have him drink Golden Seal tea.

You can clear out your system of THC within a couple of days of the test or at least hide it. Most things that flush out your system screw with the creatinine levels that are shown on a test and if someone REAAAALLY pushed the envelope (very rare) they could schedule a retest. There are also special shampoos to clean your hair with.

There are also ways to mask cocaine in your system although generally coke flows out within a couple days completely. The only time that isn't true is when the coke saturates into body fat and then a couple days later flows out of the fat and can be traced.

I think blood tests are the most difficult to mask but drugs are big business and so are steroids so people have come up with a lot of ways to screw with these tests.

-Rudey

[AznSAE]

i have to piss in a cup next week.