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Dealing with urine tests on short notice
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DEALING WITH URINE TESTS ON SHORT NOTICE
By Dale Gieringer, California NORML
While we strongly oppose drug use on the job, we think no
one should be forced to urine testing, especially for
marijuana. Aside from launching a legal challenge, your
best defense against urine testing is to be clean.
Unfortunately, this may be difficult since urine tests can
detect marijuana 3-10 days after a single use, and 4-6
weeks or more for heavy chronic users. If you are in the
job market, it is prudent to expect to be tested and avoid
marijuana. However, recognizing that many of you face
drug testing on short notice, we offer the following
advice for emergencies with our best wishes (but no
promises!)
WASH YOURSELF OUT: The general strategy for passing urine
tests is to increase your fluid intake and urine flow so
as to dilute the concentration of THC metabolyte in your
urine below the threshold of detection. In the days or
hours preceding the test, you should wash yourself out by
drinking plenty of fluids. Water is fine - contrary to
popular rumor, drinking vinegar doesn't help.
You can boost your fluid output by taking diuretics, which
stimulate urination. The most potent diuretics are
prescription drugs, widely used for high blood pressure.
Weak diuretics of dubious efficacy are found in certain
over-the-counter products, such as premenstral pills for
water retention. Contrary to rumor, phenylpropanolamine,
the active ingredient in Dexatrim, is not a diuretic and
is likely to make you test positive for amphetamines.
Other weak diuretics include coffee, cranberry juice,
beer, and other health food products and herb tinctures.
While some people take diuretics for several days to flush
themselves, they are probably most useful in the hours
leading up to the test when you want to produce plenty of
urine. Beware that diuretics can be dangerous to certain
persons, such as diabetics, pregnant women, and people
suffering from kidney dysfunctions, and can lead to
potassium deficiencies if taken over extended periods.
THE NIGHT BEFORE the test drink lots of liquid - as much
as you can stand. Be sure to empty your bladder the next
morning, since urine that accumulates overnight tends to
be "dirty." Prepare for the test by loading up again on
lots of fluid. Boost this with a diuretic if possible.
If you're taking the test on short notice without time to
wash out beforehand, the following method has been
suggested by a former army drug testing officer [Robert
Freeman, "How to Beat a Drug Test," *High Times*, August,
1988). Take an 80-milligram dose of the prescription
diuretic Lasix (furosemide); take a hefty drink of water;
piss two or three times; then take the test. (Again, the
caution above regarding the dangers of diuretics to some
individuals applies.)
One slight hitch with urine dilution is that some labs are
suspicious of the clear, watery urine it produces. You
can fix this by taking 50 or 100 milligrams of vitamin B-2
(available in B-Complex multivitamins) which will color
your urine yellow for a couple of hours. Contrary to
popular rumor, vitamin C doesn't help.
If you are lucky and didn't smoke too much pot, a good
washout may get you past a test on a weekend notice.
DRUG SCREENS: You may be able to improve your odds with a
couple of new, experimental techniques that have been
alleged to temporarily masks traces of marijuana and other
commonly tested drugs. Please beware that these methods
have not been tested in controlled scientific studies,
only in informal freelance investigations, and while
encouraging news has been reported, such stories are
notoriously unreliable.
ZINC SULFATE: It has been suggested that drug use can be
masked by the mineral supplement zinc sulfate. The idea
is that zinc attaches to drug molecules through a process
known as chelation, screening them from urine and
diverting them to feces. Regular smokers have reported
passing urine tests within 48-72 hours of last smoking
after washing themselves out and taking zinc sulfate.
Zinc sulfate should be taken while loading up on liquids
in the hours before the test. Avoid taking too many
solids. Investigators have used dosages of 250 milligrams
of zinc sulfate two times before the test, once the night
before and a second a couple of hours before the test.
BEWARE, doses above this level can cause a toxic reaction,
and chronic, prolonged use may cause copper deficiencies
and other health problems. Zinc sulfate is available in
tablets from pharmacists or in a more expensive solution
known as Zinc Challenge, sold in health food stores.
DRUG FREE: Customers have reported success with a
mysterious product known as Test Free, which guarantees to
clear any drug testing or money back. Regular pot users
have reported passing within hours of last smoking,
although the manufacturer, Zydot Unlimited Inc.,
recommends abstaining for a day or two beforehand.
Unfortunately, Zydot has been highly secretive about the
contents of its product, other than to say that the FDA
has approved its ingredients as "generally recognized as
safe." Test Free requires at least an hour or two advance
preparation, including drinking lots of liquids, and is
guaranteed to mask all drugs for at least four hours.
In addition, other products have begun to appear on the
market, including Naturally Klean from Houston
Enterprises, making the same claims as Test Free. It is
possible that they contain the same ingredient, however we
have no way to tell at this time.
NORML has no financial interest in either company. For
more information on these products, simply contact the
suppliers at: Zydot Unlimited Inc., Box 9485, Tulsa, OK
74157 (918) 747-2400; Houston Enterprises, PO Box 27776,
Tempe, AZ 85285 (602) 968-0773.
TAMPERING: The preceding methods are all something of an
ordeal and thus mainly useful in emergencies. Another
tact used by some people is to tamper with the sample.
Ethical issues aside, tampering can be highly risky,
especially as urination is being observed. For the
adventurous, Abbie Hoffman's book *Steal This Urine Test*
has full instructions on how to rig yourself up with a
plastic bag to substitute clean urine.
Another, less cumbersome trick to foil the test is spiking
the sample. This only works on the standard EMIT test,
the most commonly used pre-employment screen, and is not
always successful. It does not work for the Radio-Imune
Assay (RIA) used by the armed services, nor the Gas
Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). Scientific
studies found that certain substances interfere with the
EMIT test to make it appear negative. Six to ten drops of
bleach, detergent, or blood, or a few bleach or Drano
crystals concealed under the fingernails are said to do
the trick. However, anyone trying this should practice
beforehand and beware that personnel may inspect for
smell, color, clarity, temperature and content.
Reprinted with permission of California NORML, 2215-R
Market #278, San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 563-5858.
For more information, contact NORML, Suite 640, 2001 'S'
Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-5500. NORML
Membership is $25 Annually.
NORML is a 501©3 nonprofit educational organization.
Contributions are fully tax deductible. Please give
generously.
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