Most drug testing is broken down into four categories: urine, hair, saliva, and blood. The labs are not looking for actual drugs, but drug metabolites, which are the bi-product of drugs. Once a body takes in a substance, it processes that substance, and the end product looks much different than the beginning product.
Urine Drug Testing
Urine testing is the most common drug testing around. This is typically broken up into two types of tests: drug screen and drug test. Yes, these are two different things and most people are not aware of the differences.
First, let me explain the drug screen. This is a very simple dipstick test, where the technician simply dips a litmus strip directly into the urine sample, and will have a result within minutes. These are the same tests you can get in your local pharmacy or online. There are different types of these tests, but the most commonly used is a 5 panel test which tests for THC, Opiates, PCP, Amphetamines, and Cocaine. These tests are sometimes referred to EMIT, which stands for something long and hard to remember (Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Test), but most commonly it is referred to as a dipstick test, or instant screen.