What Do Blood Tests And Urine Tests Show?

(The content below was transcribed from an interview done with Acacia Law. We think you'll find it much easier
and more enjoyable to read this way.)

Interviewer: How often are blood tests used versus urine tests in Arizona?

Acacia Law: A blood test will generally provide a more accurate assessment for alcohol. However, it is expensive. A lot of people assume if they are stopped for a DUI and a blood test is taken, then they are going to be tested for drugs as well. Unless the individual has established reasonable basis for the officer to conclude they are impaired by drugs, they will not have samples tested for drugs.

The reason is it costs too much money. Each drug you test costs additional cash; and the state does not want to spend that money. When it comes to the blood test, they are more accurate for alcohol than a breath test.

Blood tests do not give more information than the less expensive urinalysis. Neither one has any degree of accuracy with respect to whether a person is impaired by a drug or not. The blood test itself is no more persuasive, in that regard, than a urinalysis test.

They both simply establish the person has had the metabolites from this scheduled drug, this controlled substance, for a period of time, while operating a motor vehicle.