Marijuana, or cannabis, consists of tobacco-like preparations derived from cannabis plants containing numerous psychoactive compounds. The primary psychoactive compound in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana is typically consumed by smoking dried plant material, which directly impacts brain function, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure immediately. Similar to alcohol, marijuana detrimentally affects cognitive and physical functions crucial for safe driving. Regular usage of marijuana heightens the risk of respiratory inflammation and infections, heart disease, stroke, depression, and dementia.

Cotinine is a metabolite of nicotine, a highly addictive chemical present in all tobacco products and some e-cigarettes. Cotinine serves as a biomarker for tobacco consumption. Nicotine exposure is significantly correlated with an elevated risk of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions.

Texas Scientific LLC provides screening and confirmatory testing for the parent form of THC, nicotine, and cotinine in oral fluid specimens. If the initial screening result is presumptively positive, a quantitative/qualitative confirmation test is conducted to verify positive screens. The Oral Marijuana and Cotinine Test includes the following analytes:

• Marijuana     

• Nicotine     

• Cotinine

A positive result indicates that a drug or its metabolites were present in the testing specimen. A negative result indicates that the drug was either not detected in the testing specimen or was below the detection threshold.