Does kava show up on a drug test?

Kavalactones are not included in standard workplace drug panels. The common screens — the five-panel and its expanded variants — look for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and PCP, with extended panels adding benzodiazepines, barbiturates and similar. Kava is not among the substances these tests are designed to detect.

Why kava isn't screened for. Drug panels test for specific compounds chosen because they are controlled substances or have workplace-safety implications recognized in the testing standards. Kava is neither scheduled nor included in those standards, so no reagent in a standard panel is looking for it.

• Standard 5-panel — kava not included
• Extended 10- or 12-panel — kava not included
• Breathalyzer — no; kava contains no alcohol

A breathalyzer will not detect kava for the straightforward reason that there is no alcohol in it. That matters for anyone whose workplace tests for alcohol specifically.

Two caveats worth taking seriously. A test can be commissioned to look for almost anything if someone specifically requests it — so a bespoke panel is a different situation from a standard screen. And no screening test is entirely free of false positives, whatever the substance.

If a test result matters to you — employment, a legal matter, a professional licence, a sporting body — do not rely on a general answer from our product page. Ask the testing provider what their panel covers. That is a question they will answer, and it is the only way to be certain about your specific situation.