Saliva or urine drug tests: Which to choose?

Using a Saliva Test

Quick detection (recent use) :

• Ideal for : Roadside checks (drug use while driving).
• Advantage : Almost immediate results, practical for field interventions.

Random testing in companies :

• Ideal for : Drug checks in the workplace.
• Advantage : Less invasive, detects recent consumption.

Anti-doping in sport :

• Ideal for : Checking athletes before a competition.
• Advantage : Detection of doping substances just before the event.

Screening in adolescents :

• Ideal for : School or home environments.
• Advantage : More acceptable and less intrusive.

Using a Urine Test

Long term detection :

• Ideal for : Tracking drug use over a long period of time.
• Advantage : Detects substances for several days to several weeks (eg: marijuana).

Pre-employment screening :

• Ideal for : Checks during recruitment.
• Advantage : Wider detection window, useful for detecting past consumption.

Medical monitoring :

• Ideal for : Monitoring patients under treatment, particularly with opioids.
• Advantage : Allows monitoring of prolonged use of specific medications.

Detection of specific substances :

• Ideal for : Special medical or legal situations.
• Advantage : Specifically designed to identify certain drugs such as opioids or cocaine.