Pass a Drug Test

How to pass a drug test

Leigh Green*, 23, wasn't thinking when her boyfriend passed her a joint on Friday night. Someone who rarely smoked, she inhaled a few times before remembering her employment drug test was scheduled for Monday. How would she ever pass a drug test now?

"I was hysterical," Green said. "I couldn't stop crying, I ruined the whole party."

She turned to the Internet for information.

"I found an article by a national drug agency, with a study on people who rarely smoked weed and how long it stayed in their body," she said. "I drank two big bottles of this detox solution that I got at an adult shop that had all sorts of vitamins in it. Like a cleanse type thing. I had to drinks gallons of water and I had the worst diarrhea."

A friend informed her that only time would metabolize the marijuana out of her body, so Green called in sick to her test and rescheduled for that Wednesday. She drank a liter of water the night before and then again at 4 a.m. the day of her test.

She passed.

Quite simply, the best way to pass a drug test is to stay away from drugs. Don't smoke, chew, swallow or inject anything illegal. But considering the 19.5 million Americans over the age of 12 who used drugs in the past 30 days, this is easier said than done.

At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati lost his gold medal after officials found marijuana in his drug test. Rebagliati fought the decision, saying the presence of pot was due to second-hand smoke from a party. He won, and the medal was returned.

Of course, there will always be people like Green and Rebagliati who risk (however innocently) getting caught by the broad arm of drug testing, and there will always be people who pass by cheating.

Some general suggestions on how to pass a drug test:

Common sense - lay off the drugs for a while
Alter your drug test - use synthetic urine, try a drug test aid, etc.
Don't make your urine sample your first void of the day - this is when urine is the dirtiest
Claim to have been around drug use passively - i.e. accidentally inhaling second-hand smoke at a rock concert
Claim to have ingested a medication or food that mimics the chemicals in drugs - i.e. over the counter decongestants contain low amounts of stimulants

* Name changed

Drug Tests and Testing Advice