Ask a Manager: Can I Find Out If An Employer Drug Tests

[minoanmiss]

2. Can I find out if an employer drug tests? After many years as a bar manager, I switched gears for an office job post-Covid. I’ve been looking for a permanent position (I’m a temp right now) and recently accepted a great offer. At the end of the call, they told me I was being emailed a link to go for a drug test — a test that included THC. I was surprised since I’m in a marijuana legal state, and there had been no mention of drug testing (I’m an administrative assistant, not for a government agency).

I was candid with HR that I am a medical CBD and recreational marijuana user, and expressed respectful surprise that they test for THC in a state where it’s legal. HR said she wanted to “have a serious discussion with legal” and asked if I would take the test anyway, as there was a chance they may be able to move forward if that was the only barrier. I agreed, but was not optimistic.

As expected, they decided to maintain their testing requirements “as of the moment,” so when I came back positive they formally rescinded the offer. No problem, I figured it was coming. I was fortunate enough to get another great offer yesterday and … they gave me the same drug test requirement right behind the offer letter. I plan to call later today and tell their HR the same thing I told the previous HR, with the expectation that this offer will also be rescinded.

How can I find out if an employer tests for THC before beginning the application process, or can I? I’m thinking that if I call and say, “Do you drug test?” before sending a resume, it’s going right into the garbage, and it’s not something posted on the company website. Is there anything to do for this, or is everyone just going to keep getting interview practice until I get an employer that doesn’t test for THC?

Yeah, unfortunately there’s no great way for most people to ask about drug testing at the outset of a hiring process. (Although if you have really in-demand skills, there can be more leeway — you have more capital to just state your needs outright at the start.) Frankly, it sucks — you should be able to screen for that the same way you might ask if a position includes benefits or what the typical hours are. And with an increasing number of states having legalized marijuana, both medically and recreationally, and attitudes changing quickly, that fact that this is still treated as a taboo question feels very much like a relic of an earlier time. (I bet we’ll see that change in coming years though, and there will be more acceptance of people asking about it up-front … and the more people who are willing to do it, the faster that will change … but understandably people don’t want to risk their own job searches in the service of effecting wider societal change.)

So, where does that leave you? If you’re applying to large companies, often you can find out online whether or not they drug test (search the name of the company and “drug test”). If they’re a government contractor and you’re going to need a security clearance, assume they do. Smaller companies can be safer bets and are less likely to spring it on you at the last minute, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t. There are also some industries where you really don’t see it (like much of tech, where they’d struggle to attract employees if they drug tested) and some industries where you’re more likely to (transportation, for example, even if you’re not in a transportation role yourself). And you can check Glassdoor, which may or may not have info. But it’s tricky, and there’s no good answer.