Creative Ways People have Tried (and Failed) to Trick a Drug Test

While most of the potential employees who you will encounter when searching to fill a position will be honest about their pasts, you will eventually come across people who will attempt to hide certain details. Attempting to pass a drug test despite being on drugs or having recently used drugs is one such thing that you may encounter.

Rather than lecture you on the importance of proper drug testing, we thought it would be fun (and maybe a little disturbing) to look at a few anecdotes and real-life situations where people have tried to find creative ways to trick a drug test… and failed miserably.

It Wasn’t Me – It was the Sneaky Drug User!

When someone tests positive for drug use, a common excuse is that they must have ingested something unknowingly. While this doesn’t exactly fall into the category of “tricking” a drug test, what they’re doing here is attempting to trick the tester. Whether this was at a party the night before where someone spiked their drink or a friend who was playing a prank on them by lacing their cigarette, this far-fetched reason has probably been around as long as drug tests have.

Urine Big Trouble Now

If we had to choose our favorite way of attempting to fool a drug test, it’s the use of someone else’s urine. You probably remember how this worked in the movie American Beauty, but the truth is it’s usually not that easy to pull off. In fact, a woman in Colorado recently made the news when she tried to heat up some borrowed urine in a 7-11 microwave, which caused damage and led to criminal charges.

I’ve Been Taking a Lot of Sudafed

If certain drug users are to be believed, then taking Sudafed can cause you to test positive for everything from opiates to methamphetamines. Some will even attempt to trick the tester by keeping Sudafed in their car or even in their pocket to “prove” that what they’re saying is true. Of course, any tester knows that this is a ridiculous excuse.

That Darn Milkshake Will Get You Every Time

The problem with providing someone else’s urine is keeping it warm enough until it’s delivered. In fact, many places will test the urine’s temperature to make sure it’s legit. While heating it up in a microwave won’t work because the urine would be too hot, it’s much more common for a sample to be way too cold. The normal excuse? Something along the lines of having drank a milkshake or eaten an ice cream cone just before the test. Sorry, guys and gals – it doesn’t work that way.

Prosthetic Phalluses?

Testers are always on the lookout for cheaters, especially if they have a known history of drug abuse. In these cases, the person being tested must be watched by the person administering the drug test to ensure that he or she is providing a true sample of urine. Yet some men have invested in prosthetic phalluses that are used to deliver someone else’s urine into the cup. We’re not sure if it’s ever worked, but they do get points for ingenuity.

We Can’t… No… Please No… Make It Stop!

If we were giving out rewards for the very worst attempt of tricking a drug test, it would be a young woman whose father agreed – since she was such a good girl about most things – to provide urine from her little brother. Unfortunately, the plan went awry when this woman attempted to conceal two separate vials of urine inside herself (use your imagination)… and then lost one. Everything turned out okay, thankfully (except that she didn’t get the job), but if you ever needed a deterrent for faking a drug test, this is it.

Testing for drugs is only one service offered by NationSearch. We also conduct extensive background checks to reveal criminal records, verify employment, discover false education claims, and more. Contact our professionals today and we’ll evaluate your background screening needs.