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Drug Testing for a Job

ConvaelConvael Registered User regular
edited May 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm 17 years old and I've been looking for a summer job, which would basically be my first "real" job. I was offered a great one a few days ago by a friend where I'd basically be working in a giant park all summer by driving people around in golf carts and working on boats which I'd really like to do. I'd basically get to be outdoors all summer doing fun things while getting paid well. I went in for an interview yesterday and got a call/email back saying that I was accepted to work there and to go orientation tomorrow. I smoke weed every so often, maybe 1-2 times a month. The catch is that I also have to pay 15$ for a drug test, which I will most certainly fail. My questions are basically:
1) The friend who works there told me previously that they only tested for "hard" drugs, like PCP, cocaine or meth which I have never done. Is this actually a possibility or will I certainly lose the job because I smoked pot? I did some research (yay Googling) and found that basically all tests test for 5 certain types of drugs, including cannabis. If it matters, it's a saliva test.
2) Is there any way that I can be punished for trying and getting caught, I know that coming up positive on a drug test isn't the same as being caught with drugs actually on you, but is there any way for this to affect future employment opportunities for me or cause me to get in some kind of law enforcement/school trouble?
3) Should I even bother trying to pass the test and hoping that maybe they'll let me take the job if I explain to them that I'm not a heavy drug user and would stop completely if given the job, or should I just start looking for something else (and obviously cut back completely on smoking).

A lot of these questions are subjective and probably differ vastly depending on where you work, but I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with this. Thanks for any help you guys can give, and I know I am very, very dumb.

Convael on

Posts

  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    2) Is there any way that I can be punished for trying and getting caught, I know that coming up positive on a drug test isn't the same as being caught with drugs actually on you, but is there any way for this to affect future employment opportunities for me or cause me to get in some kind of law enforcement/school trouble?
    No.

    Azio on
  • InvisibleInvisible Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    1) Most likely they do test for it and no, most places will not hire you if you test positive.
    2) No.
    3) Depends on how long ago you used. If you haven't done anything in two weeks, you should be OK. Plus saliva test can be really unreliable, so you're probably fine even if it hasn't been two weeks.

    Invisible on
  • supabeastsupabeast Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    The only way this will lead to trouble later is if you end up in politics or try to get certain high-level security clearances years from now and someone who really doesn’t like you decides to run his mouth about the results. Otherwise, nobody will ever know—or care.

    Unless you use pot on a very regular basis, you’ll only test positive within a day or so, excluding hair sample tests. Those statistics about testing positive a month after using pot refer to people who use it for years on end and have huge quantities of pot-related stuff stashed in their fat cells.

    supabeast on
  • ConvaelConvael Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Thanks a lot for the helpful and quick replies. I'm going to try and see if I can go in for the orientation next week instead of this one and completely stay away from pot for the time being, otherwise I'll just wing it.

    Convael on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    From what I've been told, saliva tests only catch what you've used in the past couple of days. It's total bullshit that they make you pay for your own test, though.

    Thanatos on
  • tardcoretardcore Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Saliva tests are the worst drug tests for them, but best for you. It can usually only pick up what you've done within the past 5 or so days.

    tardcore on
  • Manic205Manic205 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I made almost this exact thread a couple months ago. Here's what I did:

    I had my brother's friend take it for me. Gave him my driver's license and told him my birth date. He's literally 7 inches shorter than me and 3 years younger(I'm 20), and he had no problem whatsoever. My brother's my dealer, and he said it was pretty common and no big deal.

    It's not the government testing you, you can't get arrested or anything. Just make sure the guy looks marginally like you.

    Also my roommate just got a job doing data entry for a pharmaceutical company that required a drug test. He had smoked 2 days before, and not being able to find anyone to take the test for him, said "fuck it" and took the test anyways. He got a call 3 days later saying he got the job. *Shrug*

    Manic205 on
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  • iTunesIsEviliTunesIsEvil Cornfield? Cornfield.Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Manic205 wrote: »
    I made almost this exact thread a couple months ago. Here's what I did:

    I had my brother's friend take it for me. Gave him my driver's license and told him my birth date. He's literally 7 inches shorter than me and 3 years younger(I'm 20), and he had no problem whatsoever. My brother's my dealer, and he said it was pretty common and no big deal.

    It's not the government testing you, you can't get arrested or anything. Just make sure the guy looks marginally like you.

    Also my roommate just got a job doing data entry for a pharmaceutical company that required a drug test. He had smoked 2 days before, and not being able to find anyone to take the test for him, said "fuck it" and took the test anyways. He got a call 3 days later saying he got the job. *Shrug*
    This is bad advice. Seriously. Didn't everyone give you shit for that thread? Giving a dealer your driver's license and personal info? Bra-vo.

    OP: I didn't catch if you mentioned the last time you smoked, but everyone's advice so far on saliva tests has been right on. They'll pretty much only catch what you've done in the past 3-5 days. As long as you're good for that time-frame, you should be good in the test.

    iTunesIsEvil on
  • Manic205Manic205 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    My method is not illegal, my dealer is my brother, and it got me the fucking job.

    I'm just passing on the advice of my brother, which worked for me and has worked consistently with friends in his circle.

    Manic205 on
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  • ShogunShogun Hair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get along Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Manic205 wrote: »
    My method is not illegal, my dealer is my brother, and it got me the fucking job.

    I'm just passing on the advice of my brother, which worked for me and has worked consistently with friends in his circle.

    It might actually be illegal in that you are falsifying an identity to pass a test to get you a job or some such. I don't know all the legalities but I wouldn't play around with impersonation as there are much easier ways to pass a drug test even if it was a piss test.

    And making you pay for thest is ridonkulous.

    Shogun on
  • Manic205Manic205 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Shogun wrote: »
    Manic205 wrote: »
    My method is not illegal, my dealer is my brother, and it got me the fucking job.

    I'm just passing on the advice of my brother, which worked for me and has worked consistently with friends in his circle.

    It might actually be illegal in that you are falsifying an identity to pass a test to get you a job or some such. I don't know all the legalities but I wouldn't play around with impersonation as there are much easier ways to pass a drug test even if it was a piss test.

    And making you pay for thest is ridonkulous.

    No, it's definitely not illegal. Unless he's applying for the police force or a government job, the worst that will happen is this: "Say, you don't look like your driver's license picture!" And then you walk out and find another job. Like you would have anyway since you'd definitely fail the test.

    However, I'm not familiar with the saliva test. If you're sure there's stuff still in your system, though, I'd recommend against taking it anyways without exploring my option, if you've got a good friend that could pass for your ID pic.

    Manic205 on
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  • JohnnyCacheJohnnyCache Starting Defense Place at the tableRegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    What drugs do you do? Pot only?

    JohnnyCache on
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    By the way, if an employer asked me to pay cash for any part of a job interview process, I'd tell them where they can stuff it.

    Feral on
    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Feral wrote: »
    By the way, if an employer asked me to pay cash for any part of a job interview process, I'd tell them where they can stuff it.
    Yeah, thinking about it, I think I'd probably do the same thing. It's one thing to ask you to take a test, but to ask you to pay for it, too? That's total fucking bullshit.

    Thanatos on
  • JohnnyCacheJohnnyCache Starting Defense Place at the tableRegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I could see a deposit that would be refunded if you passed - that might get rid of the need for the test : )

    JohnnyCache on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I could see a deposit that would be refunded if you passed - that might get rid of the need for the test : )
    Drug tests frequently hit false positives. There's all sorts of stuff that set them off.

    Thanatos on
  • imbalancedimbalanced Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I'm gonna go with the "don't do illegal drugs" advice. If a job's really worth it to you (as well as your brain cells), just stay away.

    imbalanced on
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  • JohnnyCacheJohnnyCache Starting Defense Place at the tableRegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    NORML's website disagrees.
    "False positives," in which workers are wrongfully accused of marijuana use, are highly unlikely so long as labs exercise proper care
    No substance is known to produce a false positive for marijuana. It used to be that ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin) interfered with the marijuana test, but this problem has been fixed. A variety of over-the-counter medicines can cause false positives for amphetamine and other illicit drugs on the EMIT test, but not on the GCMS.

    "Passive smoking" of marijuana is not an acceptable excuse at the 50 ng/ml level, since only in extreme circumstances can a non-smoker absorb enough pot to test urine positive (e.g., being stuck in a closet full of heavy smokers for hours). However, passive exposure may result in positive tests at 25 ng/ml or lower.

    False positives are POSSIBLE but very, very rare, particularly for pot. Certainly not common enough for a false positive for pot to hit you in 2/2 tests very often. Falses for other drugs are possible, but that's why you need to disclose what legal drugs you're on (this creates a genuine issue with a de facto violation of medical confidentiality, I'll give you that). The idea of a false positive ruining somebody's life/career is not very plausible to me.

    JohnnyCache on
  • SatanIsMyMotorSatanIsMyMotor Fuck Warren Ellis Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    At 17 isn't he a minor? And as such couldn't his parents be possibly notified of the drug test results.

    SatanIsMyMotor on
  • ShogunShogun Hair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get along Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    At 17 isn't he a minor? And as such couldn't his parents be possibly notified of the drug test results.

    Wait I thought minors couldn't be drug tested at the workplace? This could be a complete mistake so I want someone to clarify for me. But being a minor and being forced to pay for a drug test just doesn't seem right. As in something smells fishy to me. I've never heard of the company not footing the bill for drug testing. If I were th OP I would be calling the company to get more concrete details because in my mind this doesn't add up.

    Shogun on
  • imbalancedimbalanced Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Shogun wrote: »
    At 17 isn't he a minor? And as such couldn't his parents be possibly notified of the drug test results.

    Wait I thought minors couldn't be drug tested at the workplace? This could be a complete mistake so I want someone to clarify for me. But being a minor and being forced to pay for a drug test just doesn't seem right. As in something smells fishy to me. I've never heard of the company not footing the bill for drug testing. If I were th OP I would be calling the company to get more concrete details because in my mind this doesn't add up.

    Hey, it's their company and they make the rules as to how you get into their company. Now if we were talking about a government position, it might be different, but no, you don't have any extra rights when you're going out of your way to work for a private organization. You don't HAVE to work there.

    imbalanced on
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  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2007
    Manic205 wrote: »
    My method is not illegal, my dealer is my brother, and it got me the fucking job.

    I'm just passing on the advice of my brother, which worked for me and has worked consistently with friends in his circle.

    What a loving brother.

    Anyway, what you're suggesting is pretty damn illegal in most states and a lot of times the same people administering the test are going to be your boss. So they're going to notice that you've suddenly changed race/heigh/appearance when you come into work.

    The best solution for the OP is to simply stop smoking weed. It's going to endanger you on the job, and if you get into an accident they WILL test you for insurance purposes, and you'll just lose your job then.

    FyreWulff on
  • ConvaelConvael Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    I called in today and said that something important came up and I couldn't come in, so they said I can go in for the next orientation in two weeks. So I think I should be good. I'm just going to completely stay away from pot until then and possibly have to continue, though I don't think they do intermittent drug tests while you're working there. I would ask them why they're charging me for the test but I don't want to come off as rude since I really, really want this job and asking them something like that could make me sound kinda fishy. Thanks for all the help.

    And the last time I smoked was 5 days ago.

    Convael on
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