‘That’s gonna raise some red flags’: Expert issues warning to people who drink water to cheat substance tests

Marijuana is currently legal for recreational use in 24 states.

However, that doesn’t mean that those who use marijuana recreationally no longer face problems while applying for or maintaining a job.

“Even in legal marijuana states…employees and job applicants have no legal protections for cannabis use,” reads a piece in FindLaw. This means that, as noted by Bloomberg Law, “most states allow employers to test for cannabis use.”

This can pose issues for those who legally use cannabis recreationally, but are required to take a drug test as a course of employment. 

As a result, there’s a whole industry born out of the need to quickly flush THC out of one’s system. Sellers in this area offer everything from detox kits to synthetic urine and more.

Now, a professional has come out with a warning against trying to flush THC out of your body with standard remedies.

Why this trick won’t get you out of a drug test

In a video with over 18 million views as of Saturday, TikTok user @kindlefromthelab advises against using tricks like drinking more water or adding bleach to one’s urine, either to purge substances from the body or to make the sample appear substance-free.

“You might be chugging waters, you might be chugging Gatorade, and you're like, ‘Oh, well, I'm basically clear now, so I'm going to take this drug test,’” she says. “Wrong! We test for that. We test to see how much water you're drinking.”

“We're also testing for pH…If you add bleach to your urine, which people do, we're going to know because then we add pH,” she adds later in the video. “We're also testing creatinine. Anything below 20 is considered diluted, and anything below 2 is considered just like straight up not urine. So if you're drinking a ton of water and your creatinine is below 20, that's going to raise some red flags, friend.”

She concludes by noting that not all drug tests are as intense as the one she’s describing and that one “need[s] to know how you're getting tested in order to make an assessment as to your actions.”

How do people usually try to trick drug tests?

As reported by CBS News in May of this year, “The percentage of employees who tried to fake the results of workplace drug screenings jumped more than six-fold in 2023 from the previous year, according to Quest Diagnostics, a national drug testing company.”

The piece goes on to note that the two most common methods people use for trying to cheat a drug test are “substituting their urine specimens by replacing them with synthetic formulas or even animal urine, or submitting invalid specimens, suggesting they'd been tampered with in order to conceal drug use.”

In addition to these methods and adding substances like bleach, as suggested by the TikToker, RiteCare Medical Center states that other common methods include delaying drug testing until the testee believes that the drugs are out of their system, and trying detoxification methods such as eating fiber-rich foods and consuming certain herbs.

@kindlefromthelab ♬ original sound - kindlefromthelab

Commenters share their thoughts

While many commenters simply shared their synthetic urine success stories, others offered their thoughts about the drug testing industry in general.

“Thc just needs to be allowed no matter where you work,” a user wrote. “Not while working, but on leisure time, like drinking is.”

“As a recovering addict, I can tell you from the age of 11-25 I passed every drug test I knew about ahead of time. And I wasn’t clean,” stated another.

“I have POTS and drink so much water and always have to redo preemployment drug tests,” detailed a third.

The Daily Dot reached out to @kindlefromthelab via TikTok direct message.

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