Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
The difference between the two? I don't trust any US employer not to discriminate against me based on whatever legally prescribed medication(s) I am taking at a given time - that ship has long since sailed - I am completely incapable of trusting a US employer to this level.
There are plenty of legal medications that can impair your ability to pilot aircraft, perform surgery, operate heavy equipment, etc. I don't think it's a bad idea to make drug testing a condition of employment in cases like that. You'd be quick enough to sue a firm after a drug-related accident, wouldn't you?

I don't think drug tests constitute unreasonable searches when circumstances like that exist. Some jobs require you to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. I don't have any issues with testing for that. I see it as the same thing.

Absent a performance-related reason, which I realize can be somewhat subjective (should teachers be tested? Should students?), I'm not in favor of random testing for its own sake. I think a lot depends on your contract with your employer. My job, for instance, requires a credit check on the theory that someone who can't manage his own money shouldn't be relied on to manage other peoples'.