I work in the corporate world. So I have some exposure to this topic. I’ve even done some work on analyzing this, for my company. Performance/absenteeism/attrition... ultimately the profit margins, and the impact to these by testing vs not testing.
I wasn’t sure this discussion was allowed or not, but since a mod moved it instead of closing it, I guess we’re good
Assuming you’re in the US, OP
As far as specific laws go, I believe they vary by state, and some states might have small differences. I’ll tell you what I know, based on my local knowledge of Texas. But I think the US, in general, is pretty consistent.
Almost all companies will do a pre-employment drug test. The percentage of companies that do test had increased, and will likely continue to increase. Even the historically “safe” industries such as food service are not so “safe” anymore when it comes to drug testing. That’s just the world we live in. And with the media obsession with opiates, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Here’s the deal though. Drug testing is expensive. Companies will pay it during the recruiting process, but they aren’t as willing to pay it once you’re hired.
UNLESS - they have a reason to. If they suspect you’re coming to work under the influence, they can. If they hear rumors, they can. If you get injured at work, they almost certainly will. If you file a workman’s comp claim, you can bet your sweet ass they’ll test you.
It’s perfeclty legal for them to do so. A quick google search will give you thousands of results that support that.
But the moral of the story is, unless you give them a reason to, they probably won’t.
Caveat - this is based on my exposure to the white collar world. It’s my understanding, but not based on personal experience or expertise, that many industries and/or employers in BLUE collar work will do random testing more regularly. Specifically those where safety is a concern. Transportation, construction, machine operators, etc... based on your post, OP, you’ll likely be in the white collar world, where this wouldn’t apply.
I don’t want to guarantee you that you will NEVER get randomly tested, but from my personal experience, I think you’ll be fine.