Living in the United States has its ups and downs, depending on how you look at it. Take the urine test, for instance. This test has become almost ubiquitous in almost all spheres of life. Suppose it’s not your current or potential employers asking you to take this test. In that case, the law enforcement agents, insurance companies, drug detection, and treatment to probation are just some of the guys out there who might require you to take this all-important test.
Urine drug screens are the most common method used to test for drugs. They are preferred because they are comfortable, quick, painless, and cost-effective. The results from these tests indicate the presence or absence of specific drug metabolites or drugs in your urine. Metabolites are drug residues that remain in your system after the effects of the drug or substance have worn off. These tests can also check for both prescriptive and illegal drugs.
Which Drugs Can Urine Tests Detect?
A standard urine test can detect a wide range of drugs and substances. These include:
- alcohol
- amphetamines
- barbiturates
- benzodiazepines
- cocaine
- marijuana
- methamphetamine
- opioids
- phencyclidine (PCP)
However, irrespective of the drug or substance, you don’t have to be scared if your results become positive. A positive urine test does not, in effect, mean that you were under the influence of drugs as you underwent the test. Instead, it detects and measures the use of a given drug within the few previous days.
While insurance companies and employees typically cover these costs, court-ordered tests are often left to the individual to cover whether it’s the costs or any other reason that makes you take a urine drug test and wonder how much urine test costs.
What Determines the Cost of Urine Drug Test
If you have tried looking around for reliable labs offering these services, you might have been surprised to see notable variances. Several factors determine what the testing agency charges for its services. Consider the following.
- The Complication of the Procedure
Any activity, be it drug testing or any other procedure, gets more expensive as the procedure gets more demanding and involving. The good thing about the urine test as a testing drug method is that it uses the most straightforward procedure compared to other screening tests where its almost impossible to take quick fix synthetic urine to pass urine test.
Let’s highlight the procedure(s). Urine drug tests require a trained medical technician or doctor to carry out the test. That is not a simple part. All the other procedures, be it hair test, blood test, and so on, require any of these two health practitioners’ participation.
It is the simplicity of the actual testing process that matters. For urine tests, there are two types of tests that you can undergo. The first one is the Immunoassay or IA test.
This test is the most common type of screening. The IA procedure is the quickest and most cost-effective. If you are pressed by time and financial resources, this is the best option for you. This procedure is the quickest, and hence most affordable.
But the IA might be less expensive, but there is the risk that it can give you a false-positive result. Such a result indicates the presence of a drug or substance even when you have nor used it. Take second smoke, for instance. This procedure might detect aspects of second smoke, yet you are not the one who smoked. However, this procedure costs something, but if t fails, you have the next recourse.
The second procedure in this retinue is the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This procedure is more reliable because it can detect even a broader spectrum of drugs than the IA. The method is more expensive than IA, yet providers use it as a follow up because it yields more accurate and factual results.
- Number and Nature of Drugs to be Done on the Urine Test
The cost of testing different drugs varies across the board irrespective of the test you are using to get the results. Urine drug tests, blood tests, saliva tests can all be used to test for cannabis, but each test has its price range. Urine drug tests are, so far, the most affordable.
The reason for this is simple. As earlier said, urine drug tests are easy to administer; they are quick and generally less expensive.
Thus the cost of any urine tests, so far, will depend on the type or level of testing that you want. The first one, IA, will be cheaper while the higher level will be more expensive.
Final Thoughts
If you wanted to know how much does a urine drug test cost, the answer is relative. It depends on the complication of the testing, level of testing, credibility of the testing agency, and the number of samples (if you are an employer). Take this into consideration and take due diligence by comparing what you are offered by one testing agency to what other agencies are charging based on the same criteria and pick what best fits your budget.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/urine-drug-screen
