The biggest problem with this system is that if the company you are hoping to gain employment with decides to have you tested for possible drug use before they offer you a job they are not required by any law or regulation to have you tested by a reputable, up to standards kind of lab. The drug testing policies that companies are required to have in place, and required to make you aware of are only about their protection, and sadly not yours. You could test positive or negative, which does not guarantee you a job, nor does it stop them from hiring you simple because you did test positive. Only government agencies are required to use a certified drug testing lab. So unless you’re applying for a job with a branch of our current United States Government, chances are not in your favor for being able to test without worry of a false positive.

While there are many reasons for a false positive there are just too many factors in play to determine what specifically the cause of one over another was. This is the beginning of a series of articles highlighting the truth about false positives. The myths surrounding them and what your chances really are, and of course, a look at some of the most common things to cause false positives. For example, does eating that poppy seed bagel or muffin the morning of a test REALLY mean your test will come back positive for opiate use? Is it true that taking Tylenol the night before a test will mean your sample will come up positive for marijuana? Let’s find out!