Unpopular Opinion

As long as company pays for it and time spent, its okay.

Wonder if drug tests are actual testing on which can shatter one's mind lol.

Sure, it doesn't matter what I do on their time. But, if my time starts affecting company time, then it becomes a problem. It'd be a pretty bad look if I showed up to work wasted.

For the record, while my job doesn't involve particularly heavy machinery, it does involve moving heavy loads, and it's public-facing.

Not all jobs drug test in the USA, if you get onboarded for a job that does eventually test, refuse, and if they have an issue with it, decide if it's worth your time to fight them over it or walk away and start the slow job hunt grind again. You don't have to work for a company that tests, that is ultimately a choice you make. A common issue however with finding jobs that don't drug test is that you're going to be footing your bills for all standard healthcare plan costs and such. No biggie if you value your urine privacy!

I would think it would be considered a HIPAA violation, though I'm sure "Safety" is given as a reason for why it's allowed. And it's possible there are some privacy protections given if you fail a drug test, but I'm sure it's pretty obvious what happened to anybody involved with the hiring ("They interviewed great, but for some reason after they took the drug test we're not able to hire them on. Huh, I wonder what happened.")

Lots of jobs where I'd really like people to be drug tested though... Heart surgeon? Teacher? Taxi driver? Basically any operator on machinery?

Come to think of it, do you want the administrative guy who handles your salaries to be stoned out of his ass?

I honestly agree, when you work, you gotta be sober, period. What you do in your free time is your thing but asking a little bit of responsibility and not arriving off your cracker at work really isn't that crazy.

If you don't like your job, get another job

So what's the alternative? Have employees in an altered state attempting to do their jobs? Recreational drug users love to play the victim because they don't think their use negatively affects anyone, much in the same way a drunk driver thinks they can drive fine while drunk.