Synthetic urine (SU), which was primarily utilized by drug testing laboratories as a matrix for quality control preparations, is now commercially sold and can be used to "fool" a positive drug test. To determine if SU can pass as authentic urine, we challenged Army urine drug testing specimen accessioning and testing procedures using eight different commercial SU products. Adulteration (Sciteck AdultaCheck 6) and Onsite SU (Synthetic UrineCheck™) test strips were also evaluated. Five of the eight SU were identified by physical observation. All SU products screened negative in the drug immunoassay and additionally passed the specimen validity testing (SVT) as authentic urine. Furthermore, SU was not detected as adulterated with the adulteration test strips (Sciteck AdultaCheck 6) but was successfully detected as SU with the On-site synthetic urine (Synthetic UrineCheck™). To deter SU use, direct observation, as utilized by the military, may be recommended during the collection process.
In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the Roche Kinetic Interaction of Microparticles in Solution (KIMS) screening assay for cannabinoid metabolites. Urine specimens (N = 1689) were collected during elimination of cannabinoids from 25 subjects with a history of marijuana use. Specimens were analyzed concurrently for cannabinoid metabolites by a customized Department of Defense (DOD) cannabinoid KIMS kit (50-ng/mL cutoff) and for 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) by GC-MS (15-ng/mL cutoff). As compared to GC-MS results, the sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of the KIMS assay were 69.7%, 99.8%, and 88.6%, respectively. Many of the false-negative results had GC-MS concentrations between 15 and 26 ng/mL (N = 151). The cannabinoid screening results for the DOD samples tested by the laboratory during the same 8-month period were also evaluated. The linear regression analyses of GC-MS results in the 15-50 ng/mL range and KIMS data resulted in regression coefficients of 0.689 for the research specimens and 0.546 for DOD specimens. The results suggest that the KIMS cannabinoid screening assay is deficient in detecting positives around the cutoff (15-25 ng/mL THC-COOH). This limitation of the KIMS cannabinoid screening method compromises the identification of true positive specimens, therefore reducing the effectiveness of the assay. The success of the DOD program is dependent on sensitive and specific screening assays; the high prevalence of false-negative cannabinoid results compromises the program's primary objective of drug deterrence.
This article examines the positive rate by drug for all urinalysis specimens tested by the U.S. Army from fiscal year 1991 (FY91) to FY00 and for the Army National Guard (NG) from FY97 to FY00. The average positive rate for the Army from FY91 to FY00 was 0.84%. In FY00, the Army rate reached a 10-year high of 1.04%. From FY97 to FY00, the NG positive rate declined from 3.4% to 2.16% but was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the Army rate during the same period. Marijuana and cocaine are the most abused drugs for both the Army and NG. The positive rate for marijuana in the Army from FY91 to FY00 was 0.51%, and the cocaine rate was 0.19%. The NG marijuana-positive rate from FY97 to FY00 was 1.70%, and the cocaine rate was 0.51%. The positive rate for all other drugs of abuse tested was less than 0.3% for both the Army and NG during the same periods. The overall positive rate for the Army and NG are below those estimated (6.3%) in the civilian population.
This article examines the positive rate by drug for all urinalysis specimens tested by the U.S. Army from fiscal year 1991 (FY91) to FY00 and for the Army National Guard (NG) from FY97 to FY00. The average positive rate for the Army from FY91 to FY00 was 0.84%. In FY00, the Army rate reached a 10-year high of 1.04%. From FY97 to FY00, the NG positive rate declined from 3.4% to 2.16% but was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the Army rate during the same period. Marijuana and cocaine are the most abused drugs for both the Army and NG. The positive rate for marijuana in the Army from FY91 to FY00 was 0.51%, and the cocaine rate was 0.19%. The NG marijuana-positive rate from FY97 to FY00 was 1.70%, and the cocaine rate was 0.51%. The positive rate for all other drugs of abuse tested was less than 0.3% for both the Army and NG during the same periods. The overall positive rate for the Army and NG are below those estimated (6.3%) in the civilian population.
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