Cocaine Drug Testing Facts

The standard cutoff levels of cocaine in a Enzyme Multiple Immunoassay Test (EMIT) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GC MS) drug test are 300ng/ml.

Drug Test Results

Positive: A rose-pink band is visible in each control zone. No color band appearing in the appropriate test zone indicates a positive result for the corresponding drug of that specific test zone.

Negative: A rose-pink band is visible in each control zone and the appropriate test zone, indicating that the concentration of the corresponding drug of that specific test zone is below the detection limit of the test.

Invalid: If a color band is not visible in each of the control zones, the test is invalid. Another test should be run to re-evaluate the specimen.

Cocaine drug tests are one of the most popular types of test performed for pre-employment and random drug screening today. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.

The major routes of administration of cocaine are sniffing or snorting, injecting, and smoking (including free-base and crack cocaine). Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is the act of using a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection.

"Crack" is the street name given to cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Rather than requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine using ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water and heated to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form of cocaine that can be smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked (heated), presumably from the sodium bicarbonate.

There is great risk whether cocaine is ingested by inhalation (snorting), injection, or smoking. It appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted. Smoking allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and brings an intense and immediate high. The injecting drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment are shared.

Substances which can cause false positives

Amoxicillin, tonic water