Swab Drug Test: What do I do when applying for a job? (DrugTalk TV Ep 1)
Channel: DrugTalkTV
Date: 2013-03-14

www.facebook.com/drugtalktv  Episode 1 Swab Drug Test: What do I do when applying for a job?

Video describing what you do and don't need to worry about for saliva drug testing for a job interview. Launch of my book Drug Talk: No-Nonsense straight forward information on drug testing for professionals launches on Kickstarter on 4/20/15. Subscribe to my channel to keep in the loop on all my upcoming videos and book launch.

Transcript:
DrugTalkTV Episode 1 Transcript

What’s that you got the job interview?
That’s awesome! I knew you could do it…
Wait, what’s that?! You’re worried about the mouth swab drug test (i.e. oral fluid, oral specimen drug testing)

Relax. You’re in good hands. I’m Charles Cannon, the People’s Drug Testing Consultant, and here on DrugTalkTV we’re going to give you four tips on how you can have peace of mind for saliva drug testing.

Today I will cover the common uses of swab drug testing, the types of drugs tested, how long those drugs can be tested for, and potential methods that can help you pass the test.

Some of this is very important to know, because you MAY not even need to worry about the drug test at all….

First, the common uses, as many employers are switching to saliva drug testing to save money, not only on collection, but on testing costs. By doing so they can still save money on their insurance costs for worker’s comp and still qualify as a drug free workplace. 

Now most employers will test for pre-employment, but they can also test for random or post-accident. I will cover those other reasons in further depth in future videos, so click below to subscribe to my channel DrugTalkTV, and you’ll be notified about those videos as soon as they come out.

In this video I am only going to focus on pre-employment, which is important because most of the time when you are doing a pre-employment test you know WHEN the job interview is going to be, and with oral fluid drug testing they are probably going to do that drug test at your interview (or send you out to get one at a collection site immediately afterward). 

Now you may be wondering what types of drugs are tested for. The most common drug test panel for oral fluid is a 6-panel test. This will include:

Methamphetamines (w/MDMA or Ecstasy)
Amphetamines
THC (aka THC Metabolites)
PCP
Opiates
Cocaine

Now, there is some good news about oral fluid drug testing. Mainly because the detection time is much shorter (than either Urine or Hair)

For example,
Methamphetamines w/Ecstasy is 2-4 days (including Amphetamines)
Opiates and PCP is 2-3 days
Cocaine is 1-2 days
and the kicker is, THC is only 12-24 hours

Now you may be wondering, “hey, that’s great! What do I do if I have a drug test coming up?”

Step #1
STOP DOING DRUGS

Seriously, if you can’t abstain from doing drugs (and perhaps you can’t if it is medically necessary) for a few days before your job interview then the tips I am going to share with you, they just aren’t going to help.

Step #2
Brush your teeth, and rinse and gargle at least 7 to 10 times a day before the drug test. If you can rinse and gargle with hydrogen peroxide as it works even better (REALLY I suggest this only the last couple of times – Charles)

Step #3
Try and boost your metabolism.  You can work out a lot in the days leading up to the drug test, but do not work out the day of the drug test (OR the 12 hours preceding it. In fact I suggest the last few hours before hand eating lots of sugary foods like Krispy Kreme donuts as this causes your body to sweep the blood stream to remove glucose and store it into fat, thus keeping fat from breaking down and releasing THC metabolites stored there, as THC is fat soluable. - Charles).  Also drink lots of water to help flush your system.

Step #4 (as of 2015 – DISREGARD THIS SUGGESTION – Charles)
Keep a penny in your mouth under your tongue it will help you salivate more, and MAY help dilute the specimen enough that you’ll pass the drug test. Again this may be difficult for most because a lot of collectors will actually inspect your mouth for any foreign objects before they give you the swab to put in your mouth to get the specimen

So there you have it, the most common types of saliva drug testing, what types of drugs are tested for, how long those drugs are testable for, and several potential methods that will help you pass the test. 

Thank you so much for watching my video, and I hope you learned something! From now on can keep up to date with my video releases if you click below to subscribe for all the upcoming educational drug testing videos I plan to release 

Thank you for making this awesome!