Cannabis also known as marijuana refers to a variety of preparations of the Cannabis plant deliberately created for use as a psychoactive drug. It is consumed in various ways, many of which involve smoke inhalation. The most powerful substance in marijuana is THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; this is mainly responsible for the "high" associated with the drug and it enters the blood stream each time a user smokes it. Those who use this drug for recreational purposes utilize it to obtain psychoactive and physiological effects. It is known to cause short-term subjective changes in perception. Other effects include short-term physical and neurological effects such as increased heart rate, lowering of blood pressure, impaired psychomotor coordination, and reduced concentration. Around 20 million workers across the US are tested annually for drug abuse.
Some employers require their staff to undergo a pre-employment medical test, which could include a marijuana urine test. In this case, the test is part of the selection criteria for being employed. An institution or employer may also require an employee to undergo a urine test for marijuana in case of an on-the-job incident. In some cases, diagnostic screening is required to determine the cause for unusual behavior or life threatening symptoms.
Marijuana urine tests are conducted using urine drug test kits. The most commonly used test type is urinalysis. Federally mandated drug testing programs often use this test, although it hasn't proved to be very effective in detecting marijuana. The test is conducted in a facility designed to collect and evaluate urine specimens. An escort will lead the person to be tested to a 'dry room' or a rest room, where the toilet water is colored to prevent tampering with the urine specimen. The person is given a vial in which to collect the urine specimen. The specimen is then mixed with a solution that contains an antibody tagged with a fluorescent dye. The fluorescent light is then measured in order to check the amount of drugs in the specimen.
The best and most effective way to pass a marijuana urine test is to avoid using marijuana or at least abstain from it for a number of days before the test. However, in case of random testing, no notice would be given to prepare for the test so once again the drug is best avoided, to stay away from trouble or forfeit one's job.