Check out some similar questions!

Quazar · Sep 16, 2015, 12:50 PM

I recently have taken a hair test for a pre-employment screening. I have smoked marijuana once on July 4th, a little over 60 days ago from the time the test was taken (Sept 14). The job is mine, IF I pass this test, I am worried that I will not pass. I took two hits off a "bubbler''. My friend said that it is approximately .2grams that I have smoked max. They took the sample from my underarms because I have no hair on the top of my head. My underarm hair was so short and light colored that the nurse had to call in her head nurse to check up on it. The head nurse said that my hair should be sufficient as long as she took all of my hair from both arm pits. Needless to say, She wrote on the form "Do Not QNS." She explained to me that it meant Quantity Not Sufficient and she also said that that's all the hair they could get from me. Please help me ease my mind, The horrid thing is that they will not call me if I passed, and probably will not call me if I fail. So I have no idea when I will be able to rest easy, I will either get an email for my start date, or never hear from them again... Either way, I need some reassurance to pass the time.

smoothy · Sep 16, 2015, 01:33 PM

The only opinion that matters is the labs opinion.

They can fail you for the Quantity not sufficient. In fact I have known only one person in 54 years that could get away with that. He was born with NO hair... anywhere... Had a profile in the military for it in fact.

Quazar · Sep 16, 2015, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by smoothy

The only opinion that matters is the labs opinion.

They can fail you for the Quantity not sufficient. In fact I have known only one person in 54 years that could get away with that. He was born with NO hair... anywhere... Had a profile in the military for it in fact.

If they do fail me for the QNS then the lady that submitted the test has my back at the job. That would probably be the best case for me because I know I can pass a UA with flying colors, I am just worried that they will detect the one time use. My underarm hair was maybe 1.25 inches, unfortunately I did'nt actively measure my pit hair so I cannot be sure. I've seen instances on this board where people have passed smoking twice as much as I have, so I am already feeling a little better. Just a nervous waiting game, and I am impatient haha

smoothy · Sep 16, 2015, 03:08 PM

Probably not on a single use... but they might assume you took steps to cheat on the test by cutting or shaving hair (ergo their comment). And any perception of an attempt to circumvent a test... is automatic fail many times by the labs. Even if you would have passed. Happens a lot with people in for EGT testing. Employment screening is generally less stringent than Court ordered. You have that in your favor.

Her support alone might not be enough...some of the places I have worked it definitely wouldn't. Yes I've been subject to random testing for 35 years, job related....but those have been very few and far between. Yep..every job I've applied for since the early 1980's have had preemployment screening tests too. Be thankfull you don't have to do a polygraph.

Quazar · Sep 16, 2015, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by smoothy

Probably not on a single use... but they might assume you took steps to cheat on the test by cutting or shaving hair (ergo their comment). And any perception of an attempt to circumvent a test... is automatic fail many times by the labs. Even if you would have passed. Happens a lot with people in for EGT testing. Employment screening is generally less stringent than Court ordered. You have that in your favor.

Her support alone might not be enough...some of the places I have worked it definitely wouldn't. Yes I've been subject to random testing for 35 years, job related....but those have been very few and far between. Yep..every job I've applied for since the early 1980's have had preemployment screening tests too. Be thankfull you don't have to do a polygraph.

Well the thing is that I am in the military, so I shave my head regularly as a requirement. So they knew I did not do it to get out of a test. If that were the case I would have shaved everywhere else too. I just have naturally thin hair... everywhere.. so my leg hair and arm hair were not long enough, the longest most abundant part of hair on my body was my arm pits and even that was hardly enough. That was also noted, they know and documented this on the paperwork, so I highly doubt they will decline my job offer for a QNS. I am going to call on Monday if they have not called me back before then and ask about my status or "start date" to avoid sounding like I am sweating the results. I will def post, I have been scouring the boards and too many times I see the same problem as me but no follow up. My hands are tied, but I think I have found the peace of mind I need to at least help me pass the time until I find out my fate!

smoothy · Sep 16, 2015, 04:08 PM

The problem is people (yourself included) see this as true or false issue with black or white answers when in reality it's a multiple choice with infinite shades of gray. If you see my point. Just because One person slipped through doesn't mean the next person who did the same exact thing would. And in the end...the only thing that matters is what the lab says.

talaniman · Sep 16, 2015, 05:10 PM

Even if your one use was detected it probably falls well below the allowable limit. Do you know what that is?

Quazar · Sep 16, 2015, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by talaniman

Even if your one use was detected it probably falls well below the allowable limit. Do you know what that is?

It is Quest Diagnostics 5 panel drug test.

Originally Posted by talaniman

Even if your one use was detected it probably falls well below the allowable limit. Do you know what that is?

The cutoff level is standard, 1.0 pg/mg

Alty · Sep 16, 2015, 06:50 PM

Unlikely that you'll fail for one time use.

Quazar · Sep 16, 2015, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Alty

Unlikely that you'll fail for one time use.

Thanks for the replies, I believe I have the reassurance I desperately needed, Ill be back to post results!

Quazar · Sep 21, 2015, 08:42 AM

No News is Good News?? Still nothing, called today and they said they had no results, they said that my Employee Boarding Rep will call me later on today about my update request. I guess I will update soon with what they say, good news is no MRO has called me asking me if I have eaten any poppy seed muffins

Quazar · Sep 21, 2015, 12:51 PM

So he called me today and he said that he still has not received my results which was odd, He is going to reach out to medical and find out what is going on. He told me that I should be getting my offer letter in the mail from him by Friday once he gets the results... I have a feeling that there will be no offer letter

smoothy · Sep 21, 2015, 01:57 PM

All you can do is sweat it out. Nothing more you can do at this point. Waiting always sucks.

Quazar · Sep 22, 2015, 09:18 AM

I passed the test, what a relief. Nightmare is over!! Thanks everyone for the support, and for those who stumble across this thread as infrequent users, I would say do not worry too much.

1.5 inches of underarm hair, all of It!! They did not leave a strand, smoked July 4th, two hits from a bubbler. The test took exactly 6 business days and I called HR about 20 times!! Haha. I wish all of the infrequent and one time users the best of luck, It sucks when you make a stupid decision one time then have to worry like this about it. But I smoked some high grade stuff, so like everyone on the forums I felt like "My situation was different because they took my arm hair, I smoked a bubbler and they smoked a blunt, I did this and they did that." Rest easy friends, waiting is truly the hardest part.

Alty · Sep 22, 2015, 03:10 PM

Glad to hear that it all worked out.

Even if you have a similar question, each case is different, each person is different, and often times each outcome is different.

On this site we give advice based on the most logical or most likely outcome, but it's not an exact science. I've seen people that came here worried because they had one drink 5 days before, had to get tested for work, and we said they'd be fine (because the odds really were that they would be), and they failed. I've seen hard core drug users that tested and passed, and one time users that tested and failed. I've seen people that drank enough to kill a hours that tested 18 hours later and passed. Sometimes the outcome makes no sense at all.

The advice we give is based on what science says about these tests. I bet that you'd be fine based on that science. Glad that science won out this time.

Good luck in your new job. :)