Synthetic urine kits has been around for many years and help medical cannabis users to pass necessary drug tests they may be required to take. They’re also perfect for other people concerned about privacy, for example, a prescription drug user.
What is fake pee exactly?
A synthetic urine product is a replica of real human urine created in the lab. It’s designed to have a similar composition as actual urine has. For instance, a lab test usually checks urine specimens for:
- Presence of urea and uric acid
- Correct creatinine levels
- Specific gravity (amount of particulates)
- pH level
- Right temperature
For example, to address the last testing requirement, Sub Solution powdered urine kit comes with chemical heat activator powder and a temperature strip to monitor the heating progress.
Which other ingredients does fake pee contain?
Apart from uric acid, other components you will find in fake piss include water, ammonia, creatinine, sulfates, phosphates, and protein. These are required to help specimen pass both gas chromatography and mass spectrometry tests at the testing lab.
Characteristics such as yellow color are also mimicked in fake urine, as it would look suspicious if the liquid in a specimen cup submitted for testing had a different appearance than human urine.
How do urinalysis clinics detect fake pee?
There are many tricks experienced toxicologists can use to detect a low-quality sample. For example, Dyna-Tek synthetic urine products don’t contain protein and odor-producing bacteria, so that a simple shake-and-sniff test will reveal lack of bubbles and scent.
However, this brand is not available in smoke shops, and it’s not designed to fool a urine test for drugs.
Drug and alcohol testing collection sites are also making it challenging to hide fake pee in a pocket or purses. Additionally, they ask donors to wash their hands before the collection process.
Cheating the old-school way
Even if a person who plans to cheat on drug testing using the old bleach-on-a-finger method made it to the bathroom, it’s important to remember that labs will check a urine sample for adulterants.
Therefore, it’s not a good idea to use cheap fake pee kits you’d typically find at a gas station, as they may contain weird ingredients such as caffeine and nitrites.
The wee history of artificial piss
Interestingly, the first artificial urine was discovered many years ago in 1828 by a German chemist. His name was Friedrich Wöhler, and at the time, he was trying to synthesize ammonium cyanate but instead, he had created synthetic urea, much to his surprise!
At the time, the scientific world believed that only the kidneys could make urea and that organic compounds couldn’t be produced in a laboratory; this was known as vitalism.
Modern imitation urines
Fast forward to today, synthetic pee is mostly known from news headlines when illicit drug users on probation are using it to pass a urine drug test and getting caught after being sloppy.
That said, commercial synthetic urine was created as a substitute for real urine for research and industrial testing (i.e., mattresses), and later some people started using it for wet sex fetish purposes.
How much does imitation wee cost?
The price of fake urine can vary significantly, depending on the brand. For instance, Mark Davis from The Kansas City Star said that kits are being sold locally between $14.99 and $40.
Investing in a high-end brand will give you more insurance, though, since cheap kits like Clean Stream and UPass may be detected by drug testing companies using some adulteration strips.
Examples of products
As we’ve mentioned earlier, there are many fake urine products on the market, and here are some popular options:
Quick Fix
Quick Fix synthetic urine is one of the most popular kits available for purchase, and not without reason. FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers said they were able to pass numerous drug tests at different labs using Quick Fix synthetic urine during their investigation.
Whizzinator
The Whizzinator is another fake urine product that got nation-wide attention after NFL player Onterrio Smith was said to have used it to pass a drug test. The kit consists of a prosthetic penis for use during indirectly observed drug testing and a bag of synthetic piss attached to a belt that straps around culprit’s waist.
Monkey Whizz
Monkey Whizz is another type of pee pouch product, which can be used to pass employee testing by both men and women. It comes pre-filled with imitation pee, so it’s easier to use for beginners.
How to use it for drug testing
Now that you know important information about synthetic urine, it’s crucial to learn the drug testing process in order to pass on your first try. If you raise too much suspicion, the drug test may be invalidated, and next time you’ll have to attend an observed testing.
Compassionate Certification Centers provided the following drug testing tips:
- Make sure your urine specimen isn’t too cold. Either heat the bottle in a microwave for 10 seconds (or according to provided instructions) or use your body heat and hand warmers included in the box.
- Be very swift when transferring the sample into the specimen cup because otherwise it’ll quickly cool down and be rejected from testing.
- You’re likely to be inspected visually before testing, so it’s better to get either a pee belt or special underwear to hide the bottle.
- Only buy reputable up-to-date formulas that have all the necessary compounds and density to pass lab analysis. Also, don’t forget to check the expiration date.
- Only purchase from reputable sources to avoid knockoffs and counterfeits. Phony fake urine is a thing! Quick Fix even sued some of them for patent infringement.
If you’ve not used fake urine before, it may be worth doing a “dry run” at home before going to a real drug testing company. Clear Choice offers optional practice kits for sale, and it’s probably wise to include them in your order.
Does synthetic pee work for drug test?
The quick answer is yes, as long as you use a good synthetic urine brand and heat it properly. The most tell-tale characteristic of a fake specimen is temperature, so it’s often used as the first line of defense.
Jonathan Colvin, a technician from ARCpoint Labs, says: “It’s not physically possible – unless you have a fever – for your urine to come out above 100 [degrees].”
Top-shelf products are shipping with accurate temperature monitoring strips and imported hand warmers in the packaging to provide sufficient warmth. They also have a “flip top” cap to avoid leakage of hot fake urine, especially when using a microwave.
Large drug testing companies often brag that they can always detect fake piss because this looks good for their business. However, it’s not that simple. Let’s ask substance testing professionals themselves to further answer this question.
John Hodge from Drug Testing Services Inc. says that “Quick Fix is tough to detect in the inexpensive five- or eight-panel drug screening used by most employers.”
FasTest Labs North Cincinnati founder Brandi Brewer tested Quick Fix synthetic urine specimen and said to Local 12 Investigation that it successfully passed all checks, and no drug metabolites were detected.
The biggest catch
According to the data we’ve collected, the only sure way to detect synthetic urine is to use a directly observed collection process. Due to its invasive nature, this type of urine testing is only used when mandated by courts for some drug abuse and Department of Transportation cases. It’s also used in sports after the famous Whizzinator incident.
We’ve also learned that there’s a new ingestible marker technology being developed to detect swapped urine samples. If this form of testing becomes commonplace, applicants will probably have to resort to detox products unless synthetic urine makers find a workaround.
Is using synthetic urine legal?
As with marijuana, it depends on the location where you live. For example, fake pee is legal and readily available from distributors in Colorado.
It also ranges from state to state on what punishment sellers and cheating donors would receive, as in some locations, it would be classed as a felony, while in others, it’s only a misdemeanor.
More states are moving to ban synthetics
According to the account of National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states have made it illegal to produce or sell fake urine to some extent. In 2019, State Rep. Jon Becker said that this number can now be as many as 30. He’s pushing for a ban in Colorado similar to these states.
These legislations don’t wholly remove fake pee from the shelves, however. Many manufacturers merely re-labeled their products as “novelty” or “fetish use only”. So educated consumers can still purchase them, as long as they don’t mention drug tests to the cashier.
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire has a bill that prohibits “the manufacture, sale, and possession of synthetic urine or urine additives to defeat a drug or alcohol screening test” since 2017. |
| Indiana | Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb also signed a bill in 2017 that says: “distributing synthetic urine or an adulterant with the intent to assist a person in defrauding a drug screen is a misdemeanor.” |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Lawmakers tried to pass “The Mississippi Urine Trouble Act” in 2018, but it was “flushed” by the Senate. The committee wanted to set a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and a $1,000 fine for those who get caught. |
| Florida | In Florida, it’s illegal to “manufacture, advertise, sell, or distribute any substance or device which is intended to defraud or attempt to defraud any lawfully administered urine test”, according to Statute 817.565(b). |
| Illinois | In Illinois, “It’s against the law in IL to possess, manufacture or sell substances or methods that help people cheat on drug tests”, according to Tim Thoelecke, one of InOut Labs collectors. |
Washington government officials took a different approach and are now working on implementing oral fluid and hair drug tests for the federal drug testing program. At the moment of writing this, federal laws don’t prohibit the sale of synthetic urine kits.
A truck driver can expect hair tests sooner or later too. Rules are always changing, so check how local legislations affect your rights if you’re concerned about being caught.
Why are more people buying artificial piss?
With the rapid legalization of marijuana around the country, it makes sense that more employees want to indulge in its medical benefits while keeping their jobs. As a result, more head shops and stores selling tobacco paraphernalia are putting fake pee on their shelves to meet the demand.
Workplace drug testing became common in the US after President Ronald Reagan commenced it in the ’80s. Initially, many courts ruled it unconstitutional, and a New Orleans judge even called it a “warrantless search,” but the plan still went ahead.
The foggy ethics
After implementation, the federal drug testing program was considered racist. According to the ACLU, statistics showed that African American people were four times more likely to be tested for weed than Caucasians.
To this day, there’s still debate concerning the effectiveness of drug testing. As pot is now close to full legalization, and there’s an opioid crisis in the country, more employers are struggling to find applicants who’ll test clean. At one Youngstown, Ohio factory, half of the donors failed their drug test, a New York Times article says.
Privacy is also an important issue. Not many employees want their employer to know which drugs they’re taking (and thus figure out a specific medical condition). A newly arisen problem is DNA profiling. The collected specimen may be stored for further DNA testing, which sounds downright Orwellian because it is!
Final Thoughts
Artificial pee indeed works for a drug test when used correctly and as long as it’s a high-quality product rather than a cheap knock-off.
If your job involves regular drug tests, you should always be prepared, although the only guaranteed way to pass is to stop smoking weed altogether. If you can’t give it up, make sure you practice first, so you don’t look nervous at the testing center.
There’s a plethora of posts and videos online, and we’ll try to answer the most common questions on MedSignals.com.
Alternatively, there’s a whole industry producing detox products to flush your system and reduce THC content before drug testing.
Sources:
- Workplace drug testing is widespread but ineffective.
- How effective is drug testing as a workplace safety strategy? A systematic review of the evidence
- Why Do Employers Require Drug Tests During Hiring?
- Economy Needs Workers, but Drug Tests Take a Toll (Published 2017)
- (PDF) “Pee Value”: Storing Urine for Subsequent DNA Analysis