Drug and Alcohol Testing Flashcards
7 cards from real MEPS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Drug and Alcohol Testing flashcards as text
Under DoD Instruction 1010.1, what is the military's official policy toward illegal drug use?
Answer: Zero tolerance — any confirmed illegal drug use is grounds for separation or disqualification
DoD Instruction 1010.1 establishes a zero-tolerance policy: illegal drug use is incompatible with military service and grounds for disqualification or separation.
What role does the Designated Employer Representative (DER) play in the MEPS drug testing process?
Answer: Receives MRO-verified results and makes employment/service eligibility decisions
The DER is the official who receives verified test results from the MRO and takes appropriate action regarding the individual's eligibility to serve.
Which of the following is a valid medical explanation that an MRO might accept for a positive opiate result?
Answer: A confirmed prescription for codeine-based cough syrup taken as directed
A valid, current prescription for a codeine-based medication is a legitimate medical explanation an MRO would verify and use to report the result as negative.
What happens to an applicant's MEPS drug test results if they enlist and later test positive during active duty random testing?
Answer: Prior MEPS results can be reviewed as part of a pattern of drug use in separation proceedings
Military administrative separation or court-martial proceedings can consider prior drug test history, including MEPS results, to establish a pattern of drug use.
CBD (cannabidiol) products present a risk at MEPS drug testing primarily because:
Answer: Some CBD products contain enough THC to produce a positive marijuana test
Unregulated CBD products may contain more THC than their labels indicate, and regular use can cause THC metabolites to accumulate above the testing cutoff threshold.
Which of the following is the correct cutoff concentration for a confirmed positive marijuana (THC-COOH) urine test under federal guidelines?
Answer: 50 ng/mL initial screen / 15 ng/mL confirmation
Federal guidelines set the initial immunoassay screening cutoff at 50 ng/mL and the confirmatory GC-MS cutoff at 15 ng/mL for THC-COOH.
If an applicant fails the MEPS drug test, who is the first official notified of the confirmed positive result?
Answer: The Medical Review Officer (MRO), who then notifies the DER
The MRO receives the laboratory result first, conducts the donor interview process, verifies or negates the result, and then reports the final determination to the DER.