Very often we get requests to set up drug tests that include the five illegal panels: THC, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine and also include legal panels, often referred to as 9 or 10 panel drug tests.
These legal panels often include two drugs, methaqualone and propoxyphene. These two drugs were included in the tests for legal panels many years ago. However, methaqualone doesn’t even show as a listed drug on the Quest Diagnostics drug test index of over 10 million drug tests. This is probably due to the fact that the drug has no longer been prescribed for many years. And, propoxyphene shows as 0.00% for the past three years on this index. See picture from the Quest Diagnostics drug test index below.
Since these two drugs are no longer used, why even consider having them included as panels in a drug test? Organizations are unnecessarily paying for panels to be included in their drug test protocol.
As reported in many of our blog posts related to drug and alcohol testing, we always recommend testing for drugs and alcohol, where and when appropriate. Your particular state’s rules and regulations should of course be consulted.
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| Table 6. Positivity Rates by Drug Category – Urine Drug Tests | ||||||
| (For General U.S. Workforce, as a percentage of all such tests) | ||||||
| (More than 6.2 million tests from January to December 2017) | ||||||
| Drug Category | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| 6-AM | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.03% | |
| Amphetamines | 0.97% | 1.04% | 1.11% | 1.20% | 1.20% | |
| Barbiturates | 0.23% | 0.22% | 0.22% | 0.22% | 0.25% | |
| Benzodiazepines | 0.74% | 0.71% | 0.68% | 0.66% | 0.61% | |
| Cocaine | 0.22% | 0.24% | 0.25% | 0.28% | 0.30% | |
| Marijuana | 2.10% | 2.40% | 2.40% | 2.50% | 2.60% | |
| MDMA | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.01% | |
| Methadone | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | |
| Opiates | 0.46% | 0.47% | 0.49% | 0.47% | 0.39% | |
| Oxycodones | 0.88% | 0.80% | 0.75% | 0.69% | 0.61% | |
| PCP | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | |
| Propoxyphene | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | |
