Substance · stimulant
Cocaine
Cocaine is a short-acting stimulant. Workplace and clinical assays detect its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine, which is highly specific and rarely subject to legitimate cross-reactivity.
Last updated:What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid stimulant derived from the coca plant. Most testing programs target benzoylecgonine (BE), an inactive but highly specific metabolite produced by hydrolysis in plasma and liver.
Panels that include Cocaine
What drug tests detect
Drug tests for Cocaine typically target the following analytes / metabolites:
- Benzoylecgonine (BE)
- Ecgonine methyl ester
- Norcocaine
Confirmation testing uses GC-MS or LC-MS/MS.
Detection windows
| Specimen | Window | Pattern | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urine | 1–3 days | occasional | Benzoylecgonine is the primary urinary marker. |
| 3–7 days | chronic | Heavy use may extend benzoylecgonine excretion. | |
| Saliva | 1–48 hours | typical | Cocaine itself appears in oral fluid; detection is short. |
| Blood | 1–12 hours | typical | Short plasma half-life; benzoylecgonine slightly longer. |
| Hair | 7–90 days | typical | ~7–10 day incorporation delay; reflects historical not recent use. |
Ranges are approximate and vary by individual physiology, hydration, dose, frequency of use, and lab cutoff. They are not predictive of whether someone will "pass" a test.
Cross-reactivity and MRO interpretation
The following can affect initial immunoassay screening and are normally resolved by mass-spectrometry confirmation and MRO review. None of these are a reason to draw conclusions from a single screening result.
- Coca tea (genuine ingestion, not cross-reactivity)
Sources & references
drugtest.co content is sourced from primary regulatory and clinical references. We do not cite gray-market or "how to pass" sources.