Reply #16: And with today's economy, you don't know when you are getting hired

[Nikia]

Employees who are laid off are often stressed as it is. If they have any kind of dependence, it may not be the best time for them to completely quit. A couple months go by, they've applied to every job around and only get rejection letters. They are even more stressed out and take up up an offer from a friend for relief. A few days later, they receive a call saying that one of the companies decided to hire them if they pass a drug test which must be taken that day. They fail the test, of course, even though the person may not use drugs at or shortly before coming to work.
Pre employment drug tests are not as oppressive as random test in which you are always under suspicion, especially when the fact that the company drug tests is clearly stated before the person applies for the job. They do keep a number of people out of the workforce especially during tought times like these where a person with mild dependence may be seeking jobs for months. Think of how many people who would have difficulty abstaining from alcohol for months. In general, I think that drug use, has nothing to do with suitability for employment at the majority of jobs and I think employers should not use criteria for employment that is not related to the job (that includes credit checks and in some cases, criminal background checks).