Implementation Guidelines - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...

Chapter 7. DRUG TESTING
PROCEDURES
Under the FTA drug testing regulation
for safety-sensitive employees, you are
required to conduct laboratory testing of
urine specimens for five types of drugs
(§655.21). Identification of either a drug or
its metabolite in the urine indicates recent
use of the drug. A metabolite is a modified
form of a drug that has been chemically
altered by the body’s metabolic system.
Depending upon the drug and the person’s
usage habits, the detection period ranges
from less than one day to a month or more.
The FTA regulation requires testing for
the following drugs (or their metabolites):
• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Opiates (e.g., heroin, morphine,
codeine)
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Amphetamines (e.g., racemic
amphetamine, dextroamphetamine,
and methamphetamine).
The Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) establishes the minimum
threshold levels for each of the five drugs
tested under USDOT testing programs
including the FTA. Minimum levels are
established for both the initial screening test
and for the confirmatory test.
The minimum thresholds are established
at levels high enough to prevent a positive
reading for secondhand smoke or incidental
contact with one of the substances. To
obtain a positive test result, the individual
would need to actually consume a quantity
of the substance (i.e., smoke, inject, ingest)
that is consistent with illegal drug use.
A common method of marijuana
consumption is the ingestion of food
products, such as brownies, that have had
marijuana added to the ingredients. Also,
some manufacturers have begun to market
food products containing hemp seeds or
extracts. These products may have THC
Chapter 7. Drug Testing Procedures 7-1 August 2002