Does Walmart Do Drug Tests?

Many people who want to find a job at Walmart are interested in finding out if they drug test. With marijuana usage on the rise in the United States, some people believe it’s perfectly fine to smoke pot as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.

However, for many retail companies, including this one, detection of marijuana in your system may automatically disqualify you from getting hired.

So, does Walmart drug test and if they do, what type of test is it and when do they give it to you?”

The Drug Policy is Fair

Walmart has a controlled substance testing policy in place for applicants and employees. To be hired, this company drug tests some, not all, new hires with a pre-employment screening test. This discourages applicants who use drugs from applying to this company.

It also ensures that new employees are not subjecting other workers to the dangers of drug or alcohol abuse before they join the company.

Employees who are already hired and in the Walmart worker’s compensation system can be tested at random or because of suspicion of alcohol or drug abuse. These employees can be sent to a certified laboratory for testing under the supervision of a medical review officer.

This ensures that there is no tampering with test samples and also that the employees understand their rights going into this process.

The action taken on a positive drug test is dependent on the test results. The Walmart company policy states that they can terminate employees with a positive test or ask them to seek help in the form of rehabilitation.

Does Walmart drug test new employees?

Yes, Walmart sometimes does drug test new employees. If you are applying for a high liability job such as a driver, they will likely require you to take a pre-employment drug screen before being hired. Entry-level job applicants are usually not subjected to a drug test before being hired, but it can happen!

The drug screening looks for the use of marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and other drugs. However, Walmart also tests for possible abuse of prescription medication as well.

This can be very problematic for people that take prescribed medication every day. If you are taking your prescribed medicine on a daily basis, it shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you are over-medicating yourself, and it appears you are abusing your prescribed medicine, the drug test may catch it, and you may be disqualified.

What if I’m legally taking a prescription medicine such as opioids?

Additionally, you have federal protection from being discriminated against if you are legally taking a prescription. In this example, if you are taking an opioid such as codeine, and your test comes back positive for this, Walmart must allow you to offer an explanation.

Walmart’s approach is supposed to be the same throughout all locations and needs to be applied consistently across stores. However, that’s not always the case. If you are applying for a new job with Walmart, be sure to find out about the drug policy at a specific location.

This allows you to get prepared for any test that they may want to run on you, well ahead of time.

How does Walmart drug test?

Walmart performs drug tests with urine samples, which are collected in a controlled environment. They also test for alcohol use. To pass a drug test, many past and present employees suggest applicants must avoid illegal drugs for at least one week before being tested.

If you are already employed by this company, and you are selected to undergo a drug test, you are notified by your management staff, and you have to submit to the test within a 24-hour period.

When does Walmart drug test?

Walmart tests its employees at random for drugs and alcohol, and whenever there is suspicion of possible drug usage.

Workers can expect to be tested for drugs when starting their job with Walmart, after an accident or injury at work, or if supervisors notice changes in the worker’s behavior.

Some workers will go through the whole year of working at Walmart without once being tested for drugs, while others can expect to do a test every few months. It all depends on the type of job you have and whether any suspicion is aroused that you may be impaired.

See other interesting FAQs at the Walmart careers website.

What kind of drug test does Walmart do?

The urine test is the standard drug test used by Walmart. Other more expensive tests with hair and saliva samples are not used as often due to their lower availability and accuracy.

Walmart tests for drugs to maintain a safe and healthy environment for its employees. They want to ensure the safety of their workers, customers, and products.

See this Walmart application guide to have a better chance at getting hired.

Does Walmart drug test at orientation?

No, they don’t. Walmart does not get you ready for your drug test at all. They are simply known for being an equal opportunity employer. That means they are required to offer the same opportunities to everyone, even those of legal age who smoke marijuana legally in their state/city/province.

And just because they don’t screen new hires before hiring them, doesn’t mean they don’t test them after hiring. If you test positive, you can get fired immediately. This company will not hesitate to conduct a drug test if they believe an employee may be under the influence.