What Are False Positives?
Here we define what is means for a drug test to return a false positive
If you're trying to get a job or hoping to keep a job where you're expected to submit to drug screening, you're probably determined to pass the test. However, even if you're doing everything by the book, avoiding anything that could cause a positive result, there are still ways to get a false positive. When this happens, you need to have your test reexamined for substances that can cause a false positive.
What Are False Positives?
Drug screening tests are designed to detect certain chemical signatures left behind in the body of specific illegal drugs. They are chemically specific to one, a group of, or a spectrum of substances. No drug test can detect every drug. The narrower the focus of the test, the more accurate it tends to be, but of course it will miss other substances not targeted. It happens that some foods, drugs, and other substances that can appear in the bloodstream or urine have a chemical signature close enough to an illicit drug that it will trigger a positive result.
As mentioned, most drug tests focus on just a few illegal drugs such as marijuana, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and others. When we obtain a positive drug test from a substance not intentionally targeted, that is called a false positive.
The good news is that many, if not most, of the foods and drugs that can cause a false positive are known. This means, if you know you had taken or consumed something that is known to cause false positives on drug tests, then you may have a strong defense.