Which drugs to test for?

Most public and private drug-testing programs test for the "NIDA 5."  The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, formerly responsible for setting guidelines on drug-testing programs for federal employees.  (The Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA) currently carries out this function.)

"NIDA 5" - Common Thresholds in Nanograms per Milliliter

DRUG	SCREEN THRESHOLD	CONFIRMATION THRESHOLD
THC	50ng/ml	15ng/ml
Cocaine	300ng/ml	150ng/ml
Opiates	2000ng/ml	2000ng/ml
Amphetamines	1000ng/ml	500ng/ml
Phencyclidine	25ng/ml	25ng/ml

The drug testing program can be expanded to include other drugs, in addition to the NIDA 5.  A common expanded panel includes nine substances - Amphetamines, Marijuana, Cocaine, Opiates, Phencyclidine, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Methadone and Propoxyphene. Methaqualone (Quaalude) is not generally tested because these drugs are very uncommon.

Common Trade Names of Drugs

DRUG CATEGORY (NIDA 5)	COMMON TRADE NAMES
THC	Marijuana, Hashish, pot, weed, dope, grass
Cocaine	Coke, crack, blow, toot, flake, snow
Opiates	Heroin, morphine, codeine
Amphetamines	Crank, speed, uppers, meth, dexies
Phencyclidine	PCP, angel dust, devil stick, dummy dust

Additional Drugs
Barbiturates	Seconal, Nembutal, Phenobarbital
Benzodiazepines	Valium, Librium, Xanax, Ativan, Dalmane
Methaqualone	Quaalude, Hymnal, Mandrax, Somnfac
Methadone	Methadone
Propoxyphene	Darvon