Drug test Drug test A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen, for example urine, hair, blood, breath, sweat, and/or oral fluid/saliva — to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites. Major applications of drug testing include detection of the presence of performance enhancing steroids in sport, employers and parole/probation officers screening for drugs prohibited by law (such as cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin) and police officers testing for the presence and concentration of alcohol (ethanol) in the blood commonly referred to as BAC (blood alcohol content). BAC tests are typically administered via a
Politics of drug abuse immoral) and/or harmful to the user or society, or both. What might be called "drug abuse" by some would not necessarily be considered so by others. … For these reasons, the term "drug abuse" is avoided here" The World Health Organization presently prefers to use the terms "harmful use" and "hazardous use" (of drugs), in order to distinguish between the health effects of drug abuse rather than the social consequences. Another preferred term is "drug misuse", defined as the ""use of a substance for a purpose not consistent with legal or medical guidelines, as in the non-medical use of prescription