Pre employment drug screening is necessary to eliminate any uncertainties that an employer may have regarding an employee's background. Most employers ask for a pre employment drug screening to avoid the problems associated with substance abuse. Research has conclusively shown that absenteeism, tardiness, on-the-job accidents, employee theft, lowered productivity and workplace violence are problems associated with substance abuse.Before an employer subjects an employee to a pre employment drug screening the employer needs to get the permission of the prospective employee.

This allows the individual to decide if he or she still wants to apply for the position or not. All companies requiring a background check and a pre employment drug screening must comply with the Fir Credit Reporting Act and the American With Disabilities Act. Prospective employees must sign a disclosure form granting permission to perform a background check. Pre employment drug screening tests can check for a variety of drugs including cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, marijuana and hashish. Some pre employment drug screening panels can also check for alcohol addiction. Pre employment drug screening can be done using hair samples or urine samples. Different tests have different cut off levels for detecting the drugs. The number of days that a drug will stay in the blood stream differs from person to person. The levels of drugs that can be detected depend on the sensitivity of the test.

Most employers choose to send their prospective employees to laboratories for the pre employment drug screening. However, some of them also use "at office" test kits for the pre employment drug screening.

Test kits for pre employment screening are widely available. The test kits can be ordered at laboratories or bought at pharmacies. A lot of online stores also offer pre employment drug screening kits. In the case of test kits ordered at an online store, the employer can choose any location for the pre employment drug screening test. Pre employment drug screening test is essential to eliminate any uncertainties in hiring. These days it is part of the due diligence that employers follow before employing an individual. Pre employment drug screening is now just as common as pre employment background screening.