How to Catch a Drug User

This course will provide a complete education and understanding of current drug trends and how, why, when, and by what method(s) to test for drugs of abuse. From prescription drug abuse to illicit drugs of abuse: Drug testing is definitely not a "one size fits all" scenario. Having a full comprehension of drugs of abuse and then how and why we test in different ways will allow the class participant to make the right choices when it comes time to drug test. This can and very often will make the difference of catching a drug user or not. Very often, agencies do not get information about a subject using drugs until weeks after the fact. There are still ways to know if they used drugs. It’s almost never too late. On the flip side, if you catch a drug user in the act, they may still test negative. But if you are using the correct test at the correct time, there will more than likely be a positive test.

This course is designed to be sure the participants stay one step ahead of the drug user at all times; particularly when in cases like probation/parole subjects, rehab attendees or high school students know in advance they will be drug tested. Drug users are always trying to beat a drug test, but that can mainly be prevented with good training.

The class participant will learn about urine, oral fluid (saliva), hair, sweat, fingernail and blood testing. At the end of the course, the participant will be trained and certified to collect urine, oral fluid, hair, and fingernail samples. Both urine samples going out to a laboratory for testing as well as rapid onsite testing will be discussed and shown, with a hands-on training for all. The class will also include learning about current drug trends and recurring drug trends and why they may be trending in a particular region. Details will be discussed about fentanyl and the increasing dangers it poses, synthetic marijuana (Spice) and bath salts. Captivating pictures will be shown, and newer ways of smuggling discussed.

A part of the class time will deal with real-life cases and how they were solved (or should have been solved) and also a roundtable discussion with class participants of their own experiences with subjects and time for questions.

The instructor will share many tips about how to catch a suspected drug user, as well as potential drug users that people never really think about. Ideas for obtaining grant money and other funding to combat drug use will be shared. A cheat sheet will then be provided to keep for sharing with their agency for use in the future as a guide for selecting how a subject should be tested in any given scenario. She will also share inside tips on how to negotiate or set up the best possible and most cost efficient drug testing contract.