Can you ask a potential employee if they are able to pass the drug screen before they go to take the test? Some would give an honest answer and we could save the money on the unnecessary drug test.
Posted 09-09-2013
Steve Duggan replies:
I would recommend against such a question. There is too much risk that a manager would be asking an employee questions about private and medical matters, and therefore invading their privacy. Employees aren’t going to know what drugs are screened for, or whether some perfectly legal actions might or might not affect the results. And, there is no way they should be educated in such matters. A drug testing program is designed to maximize the randomness of selection, both to avoid any implication that testing is targeted to certain individuals, and to be effective in preventing drug use altogether.
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.
