*NO, pre-employment drug testing is lame, a waste of $ and (most importantly) our rights to do as you please in your free time. I suppose the exception MAY BE someone who could misdiagnose/misfill a Rx/transplant the wrong organ and in result, kill someone! Ya know?

*Do you think people with convictions should have the same rights though – don’t do any pre-employment checks at all? Or background checks are really all that different?! If (most) drugs checked for are illegal, aren’t you committing a crime and then in the same shoes as the felons? CRAP! IDK!

Ok- is misfill a word?!?!? Im not stoned, I swear…

@Jackbuilt I think it’s weird how we treat alcohol and drugs differently. You’re right on about the hypocrisy.

@Career Guide Just wait a few years — they will!

@Gina Thanks

@cuz OMG, so funny.

@Doug You are too kind.

@RMS Well safety is a serious issue, and I can understand DOT and heavy machinery safeguards; however, I still struggle with asking employers to enforce our drug policy. It continues the patriarchal and paternal relationship we have with our employers. By the way, I’m totally fascinated by your career!

@HRJEFE Everyone likes cheap stuff from China and weed!

I’m on board for drug testing for safety related positions. I worked for a construction materials company and was glad that the drug testing policy was hard core. The company I work for now does not drug test (all white collar jobs) and I found it strange at first (especially here in CA) but have come to embrace it as an unnecessary business expense as I can still test for resonable suspicion (can’t do random in CA) which is all that matters (e.g. if you look F’d up, smell F’d up or sound F’d up).

As the Doobie Brothers once sang. . . oh shit I forgot. . . damn weed!

Yes, the question makes sense.

I have worked for three organizations over the past 30 years. The first – the US Air Force. The weapon systems that I may have been around, being restricted by policy to neither confirm or deny the presence there of, required the strictest of adherence to personal reliability protocols. The rules made sense from the global perspective of shared security.

The second organization I worked for was a nonprofit social service agency. Needless to say, the standards were different and quite relaxed.

My third and current company does precision metals manufacturing, both machinery and custom fabrications. We do the big stuff. All operating positions have two-ton or more cranes to move our product. Think of it as Craftsman tools on serious steroids. I spend as more time on safety than I do anything else. I need to know I can rely on my employees. Candidates fail the reliability test when they fail the entry drug test.

Why do DOT truck drivers require random drug tests? Safety.

@Jackbuilt I grew up in Chico in the 60’s and 70’s— that should tell you alot!! We could buy LSD from a dealer at the park (between 7 – 7:30) that even the cops knew about. Those were the days!!