Drug Tests

I had my first drug test and I found the entire process offensive. The administration of the test was awful, but the implications about my personal life were truly offensive. First of all, am I guilty before charged? The requirement of a drug test on some level assumes that I am taking drugs. I resented the fact that I had to “prove” my innocence through a process that violated my personal privacy.

I am not taking drugs but if I was how much of it is my employers business? If I do drugs recreationally on the weekends or during my vacation, what gives my employer the right to question this behavior? I am sure the test does not monitor my alcohol consumption, my illicit sexual life or other behaviors that I might engage in that are dangerous to my health and brain cells. In fact they did not ask me for an IQ test, so perhaps I have many brain cells to spare and if I want to donate them to a drug shouldn’t I be able too? This was a pre-employment screening and not a performance related test. If I take drugs and it does not affect my performance at work, how does that become my employers business?

In addition my employer can find out other things about me from the test, like am I pregnant. I am sure in my male dominated field, my new employer would not be happy if I went on maternity leave soon after starting my position.