How long army drug test results

The process produces a specific molecular identifier which a mass spectrometer reads. These results are highly precise. Drug detection windows are very important, especially if you are in reserve. Below, we list common factors that affect drug detection windows.

On average, at least one day passes between the time a testing lab receives the sample and the time they post the results to a web portal. At maximum, this process takes around days. Usually, negative results post more quickly than positive results, as there is less work to be done.

If you fail the drug test, you may be subject to certain punishments. These punishments include court-martial, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separation. The action taken depends on a few factors, such as military branch, rank, and commanding officer.

A commander, in the event of a positive drug test, has several options for taking action. Here, we outline the most common occurrences after a positive test. This is the legal process for military members. There are three levels of courts-martial , each increasing in severity. Generally, commanders reserve courts-martial for very serious drug offenses.

This involves only one officer serving as both judge and jury. It also involves only enlisted personnel, and minor offenses. Under no circumstances should a working unit of the military be so handicapped. Thank you for subscribing! Process of Military Drug Testing Each member of the armed forces undergoes at least one random drug test per year in the Navy this is upped to 4 a month and in the Reserves once every two years and equals roughly , tests each month. These results can be used in court marshall and in the event of an involuntary discharge.

When asked to submit to a drug test that member must first initial the test bottle then give the test sample under supervision.

The officer in charge of supervising boxes them up in batches and begins a chain of custody document for every batch.

From here on out anyone who handles that batch must add their name to the chain of command document. This continues into the test lab as well. Lab technicians record their names and what they do with the sample. Each sample undergoes immunoassay screening.

Those that test positive are tested again using the same screening method. All samples are tested for amphetamines, marijuana and cocaine and if a drill sergeant would like the sample to be tested for steroids as well.

If you are found to have a positive drug test, you will undergo punishment. If a sample is positive, the result is reported to the member's command for successive disciplinary action. There are different bases that the military depends on for urine sample collection, and this dictates the manner the command can utilize any positive test results.

The drug test results are often posted on web portals for program managers. The negative results come back within 1 to 3 days, and positive results take a bit longer, about 3 to 5 days from the time the lab receives the specimens.

If a service member fails a military drug test, they will be subjected to disciplinary or administrative action and even court-martial. It is advisable to get an attorney to defend yourself during the court-martial. Most commonly, drug cases are resolved through administrative processing for separation.

The Air Force tends to litigate more prosecutions at courts-martial than the other branches. If you are bound to face an executive separation board, defense counsel's experience can be vital. The resources in an administrative separation case for expert assistance from a chemist or toxicologist are always unavailable.

The defense counsel's attorney must appropriately cross-examine a government toxicologist. Also, the lawyer must educate the members of an administrative separation board on the science present behind every drug test. The decision to prosecute a drug test or urinalysis case can also be heavily personified and dependent on the command.

There are specific units that are excessively aggressive in prosecuting in the instances of urinalysis. A commander has several privileges to take action against positive drug crimes. Court-martial protocols are complex, and the Military Rules of Evidence apply to them. Nonjudicial punishment procedures are relatively simple. They do this through the use of urinalysis testing to monitor the presence of any controlled substance.

In fact, the DoD labs test around 60, random urine samples every month. It also includes Marines drug testing as well as Navy drug tests. Members of the Guard and Reserves must also submit to drug tests at least once every two years. There are a few ways for how to fight a positive drug test in the military. One way is to prove that the service member unknowingly ingested the drug.

If a test comes back positive, the government must have more evidence than just that urinalysis was positive. They must be able to prove that the reason for the positive result was because the individual consciously ingested an illegal substance. The DoD provides very detailed and specific instructions for how test administers should conduct and handle each screening.

Any deviation from these instructions, no matter how slight, can cast doubt on the accuracy of the results. He will comb through each record and document to ensure that every instruction was properly met. If there is a chance that errors got made in the collection, testing, or handling of your urine sample, our military drug crime attorney will find them. There are several protections that the military takes to ensure the test results are accurate.

To start, each individual must write their initials on the label of their own bottle. There is also someone present to observe the service member while they urinate into their bottle to ensure they do not try to cheat. The bottles are then boxed into batches, and the person responsible for administering the test will begin a chain-of-custody document for each batch. This may be anyone from the observer to the person who puts the bottle in the box as well as the person who takes it out.