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
International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use technical guidelines and requirements for product registration. Harmonisation would lead to a more economical use of human, non-human animal and material resources, and the elimination of unnecessary delay in the global development and availability of new medicines while maintaining safeguards on quality, safety, and efficacy, and regulatory obligations to protect public health. ICH guidelines have been adopted as law in several countries, but are only used as guidance for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the 1980s, what is today the European Union began harmonising regulatory requirements. In 1989, Europe, Japan, and the United States began creating plans for