If I get hired on for food safety inspection - I have to take a hair follicle test. I'm thinking I would want my food safety inspectors to be sober and in their right mind when inspecting food that may very well end up on mine or my DD's plate. I don't want to buy boneless, skinless chicken meat, only to take it home and find out it's got a serious case of IP all on the underside of the meat because the inspector totally missed it because he/she was higher than a kite when the bird passed by their inspection station.
My thinking is - in certain lines of work - you better bet your bottom dollar that I think drug testing should be mandatory. 99% of all employers test for drug use for ALL new hires and some go so far as random testing for ALL employees. Walmart uses third party drug testing, the tester is no way shape or form affiliated with Walmart - their paycheck does not come from Walmart, Inc. of Bentonville, AR.
However - my further thoughts say that if I have to take a test to get a job to pay the taxes to support the welfare programs in my state and on the federal level - the recipients of welfare benefits should also at least get drug tested. It should be a two-way street, not a one way street.
Also when I have to be drug tested to get a job - I'm considered guilty until proven innocent in the eyes of the company. It's just part of their screening and weeding out process. I'm not flailing and flapping my arms over it, I just consider it to be a part of the process and get on with it. The welfare department in many states is already cash-strapped because of the economy and people who didn't need welfare before, now find themselves having to get on it just to survive. A little give before you take won't hurt. Besides, if your drug free, you have nothing to worry about as you will be reimbursed for the cost of the test. If you're not drug free, you better get clean at least long enough to pass the test. I don't think they can test you again unless they have reasonable suspicion that you are in fact abusing drugs. Most drug tests can be bought for around $30, the urinalysis ones anyways. I am sure this is the kind they will be using. Surely, you can bum $30 from a friend or relative to pay for the test if your circumstances are dire enough.
