Australian Standard Drug Class Screening Cut-off Levels (Australian Standard AS/NZS 4308:2023 (Urine) and AS/NZS 4760:2019 (Oral Fluid) cut-off levels are usually derived from levels which can be reliably detected in a laboratory.
Australian Standard Drug Class Screening cut-off levels may take other factors into account, such as the cut-off level for cannabis metabolites which makes allowance for passive smoking (it is set at a level that ensures a positive result cannot be obtained from passive smoking).
Urine screening – currently we are in a three year transition period with AS/NSZ 4308:2008 being replaced by AS/NZS 4308:2023. The main change is to decrease the screening cut off for cocaine metabolites from 300 ug/L down to 150 ug/L, and a corresponding drop in confirmatory cut off from 150 ug/L down to 100 ug/L resulting in more detections on site along with confirmatory testing being more likely to match the initial screening result.
The second key change in the updated urine standard is a decrease in the confirmatory cut off levels for Benzodiazepines metabolites from 200 ug/L down to 100 ug/L. This will reduce the likelihood of a non negative on site screen returning a confirmed negative confirmation due to a mixture of metabolites present in the urine with no individual component over 200 ug/L. Screening cut offs for Benzodiazepines remain at 200 ug/L.
Current drug screening cut-off levels per drug class for urine testing – AS/NZS 4308:2008
- Amphetamine Type Stimulants (300 ug/L)
- Benzodiazepines (200 ug/L)
- Cannabis Metabolites (50 ug/L)
- Cocaine Metabolites (300 ug/L) – changing to 150 ug/L with new standard 2023
- Opiates (300 ug/L)
AS/NZS 4760:2019 (Oral Fluid)
The drug screening cut-off levels per drug class for oral fluid testing – AS/NZS 4760:2019
- Opiates (50 ng/mL)
- Amphetamine Type Stimulants (50 ng/mL)
- Benzodiazepines (10 ng/mL) *
- Cannabis (THC) (15 ng/mL)
- Cocaine (50 ng/mL)
- Methamphetamine (50 ng/mL)
- Oxycodone (40 ng/mL)
* Testing is optional for BZO based on workplaces specific testing requirements or policies.
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