When considering kava use, a common question arises regarding its detectability on drug tests. Many individuals subject to drug screening wonder if consuming this substance could lead to an unexpected result. This article aims to clarify how kava interacts with typical drug screening procedures.
What Kava Is
Kava is a plant native to the Pacific Islands, traditionally prepared into a beverage from its roots for ceremonial and social purposes. Its primary active compounds are called kavalactones, which are responsible for its effects, including feelings of relaxation and mild sedation. Kava is generally not classified as an illicit or controlled substance.
Understanding 12-Panel Drug Tests
A 12-panel drug test is a common screen used to detect specific substances or their metabolites. These comprehensive tests target a broad range of illicit drugs and certain prescription medications. They typically screen for categories such as amphetamines, cannabinoids, and opiates, identifying their unique chemical signatures.
Kava’s Interaction with Drug Tests
Standard drug tests, including the 12-panel variety, are not designed to detect kavalactones or kava metabolites. Kava is not a substance typically targeted in routine drug screenings because it is not commonly considered an illicit drug of abuse or a controlled substance by employers or legal systems. Drug tests specifically look for certain chemical structures that are characteristic of the drugs on their panel. The chemical composition of kavalactones does not match the specific chemical signatures that these standard tests are calibrated to identify. Therefore, the presence of kava in a person’s system does not typically trigger a positive result for any of the substances included in a standard 12-panel drug screen.
Addressing Potential Misunderstandings
While kava is not directly detected by standard drug tests, a rare possibility of a false positive result has been noted in some instances. This can occur if kavalactones, due to certain chemical similarities, are misinterpreted by less sophisticated immunoassay tests for substances like amphetamines or MDMA. However, kavalactones are not generally known to cause false positives for the common drug classes tested in a 12-panel screen. If an initial screening test yields an unexpected result, confirmatory testing, such as Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), can be performed. This advanced analytical technique can definitively identify specific compounds and differentiate kavalactones from any targeted drug metabolites, effectively ruling out a false positive.