What type of forensic testing is typically used to determine prior drug use?

Forensic urine drug testing is a widely used method for determining prior drug use because urine retains metabolites of drugs for a longer period compared to other biological specimens. When substances are ingested, they are metabolized by the body, and many of these metabolites are excreted in urine. This allows for a broader detection window for substance use, which can range from days to weeks after consumption, depending on the drug and the individual's metabolism.

Urine drug testing is particularly favored in various contexts, such as employment screenings, rehabilitation programs, and legal situations, due to its non-invasive nature and the ability to test for multiple drugs in a single sample. This method can identify both the presence of drugs and their metabolites, providing valuable information about an individual's drug use history.

While postmortem toxicology is crucial for analyzing drug presence in deceased individuals to determine causes of death and human-performance toxicology focuses on understanding how drug use affects physical and cognitive abilities during active function, forensic urine drug testing remains the go-to method for assessing recent or past substance use in living individuals. Blood toxicology, while effective in providing a snapshot of drug levels directly after use, typically has a shorter detection window compared to urine testing.