Drugs of Abuse Urine - COC

This test screens a urine sample for a wide range of commonly misused drugs and substances, and is carried out under a formal chain-of-custody process. This means the sample collection, handling, and testing are documented and controlled at every stage, so the result can be used for official purposes as well as personal information.

What this screen checks

• Alcohol
• Amphetamines: including stimulant drugs such as speed and related substances
• Cocaine: and its breakdown products
• Cannabis: the active compounds found in cannabis
• Opiates: a group that includes substances such as morphine and codeine
• 6-MAM: a specific breakdown product of heroin
• Methadone metabolite (EDDP): indicating methadone use
• Benzodiazepines: a group of sedative medicines sometimes misused
• Barbiturates: an older group of sedative drugs
• Ketamine: an anaesthetic drug that is sometimes misused
• Phencyclidine (PCP): a hallucinogenic drug
• Propoxyphene: an opioid painkiller

What chain of custody means

Chain of custody is a strict, documented procedure that tracks the sample securely from collection through to the final result, with verified identity and tamper-evident handling at every step. This makes the result legally defensible and suitable for purposes such as employment, workplace, legal, or court requirements, where an ordinary screening test would not be accepted. To maintain this process, the sample must be collected under supervised, controlled conditions.

An important note on interpretation

A positive screening result indicates the likely presence of a substance and can occasionally be affected by prescribed or over-the-counter medicines, so confirmatory testing may be carried out where a result needs to be certain. Detection windows vary between substances and depend on factors such as how much and how recently a substance was used.

Why it matters

This test provides a comprehensive and legally robust way to screen for a wide range of substances. If the test relates to concerns about your own or someone else's substance use, support is available, and speaking to your GP or a drug and alcohol service can be a helpful first step.