There are two main types of drug test that are easy enough to use at home or at work. They are mouth swab - where the test is held in the mouth and absorbs saliva and detects drugs present. Or urine dip tests that get dipped in a 'cup' of urine from the person being tested and detect drugs.
Both have pros and cons.
Pros for Oral swab tests
- don't require collection of urine and can be done quickly
- little mess and there no cup of urine to dispose of afterwards.
- detect drugs much quicker than urine based tests. For instance methamphetamine (or P) in as little as 5 minutes.
- it's difficult to adulterate/contaminate sample to invalidate the test.
- Can be more effective in detecting recent marijuana use in people who haven't previuosly used it. *
Pros for Urine tests
- longer windows of detection up to 30 days for THC
- can detect lower levels of drugs - particularly methamphetamine (P)*
- fewer false negatives *
Neither give a number for amount or concentration of drug in the body. Blood tests are required for that.
Click here for information on how long various drugs are detectable.
*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27344042/