§ 40.87 What are the cutoff concentrations for drug tests?
Wording in the annual edition revised as of Oct. 1, 2010, superseded by the 2012 annual edition.
(a) As a laboratory, you must use the cutoff concentrations displayed in the following table for initial and confirmatory drug tests. All cutoff concentrations are expressed in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The table follows:
| Initial test analyte | Initial test cutoff concentration | Confirmatory test analyte | Confirmatory test cutoff concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marijuana metabolites | 50 ng/mL | THCA 1 | 15 ng/mL. |
| Cocaine metabolites | 150 ng/mL | Benzoylecgonine | 100 ng/mL. |
| Opiate metabolites | |||
| Codeine/Morphine2 | 2000 ng/mL | Codeine | 2000 ng/mL. |
| Morphine | 2000 ng/mL. | ||
| 6-Acetylmorphine | 10 ng/mL | 6-Acetylmorphine | 10 ng/mL. |
| Phencyclidine | 25 ng/mL | Phencyclidine | 25 ng/mL. |
| Amphetamines3 | |||
| AMP/MAMP 4 | 500 ng/mL | Amphetamine | 250 ng/mL. |
| Methamphetamine5 | 250 ng/mL. | ||
| MDMA 6 | 500 ng/mL | MDMA | 250 ng/mL. |
| MDA7 | 250 ng/mL. | ||
| MDEA8 | 250 ng/mL |
1 Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCA).
2 Morphine is the target analyte for codeine/morphine testing.
3 Either a single initial test kit or multiple initial test kits may be used provided the single test kit detects each target analyte independently at the specified cutoff.
4 Methamphetamine is the target analyte for amphetamine/methamphetamine testing.
5 To be reported positive for methamphetamine, a specimen must also contain amphetamine at a concentration equal to or greater than 100 ng/mL.
6 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
7 Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA).
8 Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA).
(b) On an initial drug test, you must report a result below the cutoff concentration as negative. If the result is at or above the cutoff concentration, you must conduct a confirmation test.
(c) On a confirmation drug test, you must report a result below the cutoff concentration as negative and a result at or above the cutoff concentration as confirmed positive.
(d) You must report quantitative values for morphine or codeine at 15,000 ng/mL or above.
(e) On a 6-AM confirmed positive result:
(1) When a 6-AM confirmed positive result is reported and morphine for that specimen is not reported at or above the 2000 per ng/mL confirmed positive cutoff, you must confer with the MRO to determine if there was confirmed morphine below 2000 ng/mL.
(2) If morphine was not confirmed below 2000 ng/mL, you and the MRO must determine whether further testing is needed to quantify the amount of morphine concentration present.
(3) If you find no detectable morphine at LOD upon further testing, you must report that fact to ODAPC immediately.
[65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010]
Amendment history
7 distinct wordings on file since Oct. 1, 2001- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 69 FR 64867, Nov. 9, 2004. Redesignated and amended at 88 FR 27643, May 2, 2023]
- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012; 82 FR 52244, Nov. 13, 2017]
- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012; 82 FR 52244, Nov. 13, 2017]
- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012]
- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012]
- [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010]
- Oct. 1, 2001 → Oct. 1, 2010annual editions 2001–2009
A new entry appears whenever the regulatory words change between government snapshots. Day-precise from the eCFR (2017 onward); before that, one snapshot per annual CFR edition (revised as of October 1). Bracketed citations are the Federal Register history printed with the section.