Screening for drugs of abuse

Screening for drugs of abuse (as distinct from the investigation of volatile substance abuse) is carried out with urine specimens. A wide variety of drugs will be detected qualitatively by the "standard" screening procedure. However, some other substances of abuse are not sought routinely, and in these cases, the laboratory test which is relevant should be requested specifically.

It should be noted that analysis of urine specimens for "drugs of abuse" will only give information about current or recent drug usage. A specimen taken more than a few days after an episode of 'abuse' is likely to be negative on screening for most substances, with the notable exception of cannabis.

The range of substances detected in the "standard" screening procedure includes controlled drugs (CD), prescription-only medicines, medicines available over-the-counter (OTC), and illicit drugs. Confirmation of the presence of specific substances will be routinely carried out where amphetamine and opiate class drugs are detected on screening.