When it comes to choosing the best drug test panels for your company, you can sometimes have a tough time deciding. How robust of a panel do you need? What substances are most necessary to test for? When it comes to choosing the right drug test, we encourage you to look at the 10 panel drug test, as it offers versatility and also screens for some of the most commonly abused drugs affecting workplaces all across the United States.
What Does the 10 Panel Drug Test Screen For?
As the name indicates, this panel tests for 10 substances, which are:
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
- Amphetamines (including methamphetamines, MDMA, MDA, MDEA, and ecstasy)
- Opiates (including codeine, morphine, and heroin)
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
- Methadone
- Propoxyphene
- Methaqualone
The 10 panel drug test is available to be performed with instant negative results of lab-based, with an MRO (medical review officer) review.
If you're looking for a hair drug test, you can more commonly find these available through a 5 panel drug test. Additionally, US Drug Test Centers offers a 9 panel drug test, 12 panel drug test, and 14 panel drug test. (One benefit the hair follicle drug test offers over urine tests is a longer detecting window. Plus, it's more difficult to cheat. This results in twice the number of positive drug test results of urine drug testing.)
Why Choose Our 10 Panel Drug Test?
It's not just the thoroughness of the 10 panel drug test that makes it an optimal choice. It's also the fact that it tests for some of the most commonly abused substances that are negatively impacting employers nationwide, causing billions of dollars in damages and lost productivity and endangering not only their teams of employees but sometimes the general public.
The Opioid Epidemic
The opioid crisis continues to sweep across America, and it doesn't show any signs of letting up. In fact, in 2017, opioids killed more people than guns or car crashes. People who show up to work high on opioids are a threat to themselves and others.
It's not just a safety concern, either — although that's undoubtedly a huge part of the conversation. Opioids also cause tremendous financial stress to employers. Between workers' compensation claims, healthcare expenses, lost productivity, employee turnover, and other ramifications, opioid use in the workplace is causing business owners an amount to the tune of $12 billion every single year.
Opioid abuse often starts innocently, after a physician prescribes an individual painkillers. However, these drugs have proven to be highly addictive and frequently turn into heroin addiction. We're seeing it kill more people every year, and our nation has yet to provide the education, detection, and treatment people need to break the pattern.
Some estimates say somewhere between 10% and 12% of workers are under the influence of opioids while on the job. By including a 10 panel drug test in your drug-free workplace policy, you're better protecting yourself and your staff. US Drug Test Centers can help you craft your policy so that it covers your needs and also complies with all laws and regulations.
The Legalization of Cannabis
The recent legalization of marijuana across many states for both medical and recreational use is also something to consider. Individuals are now very casually smoking marijuana on their personal time, but personal time isn't always where it stays. If you're an employer and you're asking, "How long does marijuana stay in your system?" you're on the right track.
Cannabis can be detected in your system as far as about 72 hours back, if screened for using a urine drug test. It can be detected in an individual's system 90 days or more if screened for using a hair follicle drug test.
All of this means that even if an employee smokes marijuana outside of working hours, they can still show up at work impaired, with THC still in their system.
Once again, this can result in massive damages — both financial and safety-wise — for employers. America's attitude toward cannabis is changing. In some ways, this is a positive thing. For example, CBD oil — which does not get you high — reportedly has many beneficial applications.
However, THC-filled marijuana, although a plant with some positive uses, is still a drug which causes impairment, and it's more widely used now than ever before. Therefore, if you run a business, you should be testing your employees for it.
The opioid crisis and the legalization of marijuana are just two examples of why asking your employees to submit to a urine drug test is so crucial to the wellbeing of your business.
How to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace
Choosing the best drug test panel for you is one step in maintaining a drug-free workplace, but there are many others. As an employer, you will want:
- A solid and all-encompassing drug-free workplace policy.
- An organized, fair, and truly randomized process for selecting employees for random drug testing.
- Clear guidelines for reasonable suspicion drug testing.
- Results that are reviewed by a medical review officer (MRO).
- A thoroughly trained employee representative to help you maintain your drug-free workplace and navigate all of the responsibilities and rules.
There's a lot of ground to cover, but US Drug Test Centers can make it easier. We can help you with all of the above and even more, and we'll ensure you comply with federal, state, and local laws, as well as union and industry-specific regulations. Plus, we have more than 20,000 locations across the nation, meaning drug testing is never more than a few miles away. We offer employers a cost-effective and time-efficient option for keeping their businesses running safely like a well-oiled machine.
Requesting your test is fast and easy. Order a test online or contact us today for more information. Don't forget that if you don't see the test you want on our website, we can customize just about any panel you need, so that your busy is protected in the way that you're looking for.
Ashlee Arnold is one of the founders of US Drug Test Centers and is currently the Vice President. 
