10 Biggest Companies That Drug Test

The 10 biggest companies that drug test include some of the largest companies in the world as well as some of the world’s largest employers.

Drug testing by employers is a controversial practice, with many people believing it to be a violation of privacy. Those people are of the mind that so long as the employee abstains from doing drugs at work or coming to work high, that it should not be an employer’s concern whether or not they engage in drug use on their own time, even should that drug use be illegal.

Naturally, many employers disagree. They believe that while an employee’s drug use may very well be contained to their private life initially, that use could eventually spiral out of control and lead to the employee missing time, seeing their job performance decline, and/or leading to drug use at work. Some states have even instituted drug testing of welfare recipients, with those who test positive being denied benefits.

Despite the controversy, drug testing is on the rise in the workplace. According to Statistic Brain, 56% of U.S employers now require pre-employment drug tests, while 29% of private employers make use of random drug testing. The majority of the testing done is through urine testing, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that 9.1 million employee urine tests were conducted in 2014 by Quest Diagnostics Inc (NYSE:DGX) alone, with 3.9% of those tests coming back positive.

Marijuana, one of the 10 least addictive drugs, is the drug most commonly found in drug testing, appearing in 2% of tests, while amphetamines, prescription opiates, and meth were each found in around 1% of the tests. The meth figures (0.85%) were surprisingly high, given that it only takes about 72 hours before meth use won’t show up in a urine test (while marijuana use can be detected in urine as much as two months after the most recent puff, in the case of a formerly heavy user), and given that only 0.2% of Americans reported having used meth in the last month according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

While some people may contend that drug testing shouldn’t even be legal or is a violation of the Fourth Amendment, the reality is that it is legal, and not only is it legal, but companies are incentivized to do it by both insurance companies and the government itself in most jurisdictions. Perhaps the most sobering fact of all is that even in states where marijuana use is now legal, companies can still test for and fire employees for marijuana use if they so desire.

In this article, we set out to find the 10 biggest companies that drug test, so our readers know what to expect on their job hunt (or from their current employer) and who they may or may not want to send a copy of their CV to. We started from the top of the market cap ladder (Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which does not drug test), and worked our way down until we had found the 10 biggest companies that drug test, based on market cap. Check out the list beginning on the next page.

#10 Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)

Market Cap – $197.51 billion

First up on the list of the 10 biggest companies that drug test is Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), which requires employees, contractors, and sub-contractor’s employees to submit to drug tests, including alcohol testing. The company also requires contractors to perform random drug testing as well as drug testing after an accident.

#9 Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG)

Market Cap – $227.26 billion

Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) will ask for a urine or hair follicle test to be completed before hiring anyone, though it’s unclear if the manner of testing is random or based on the position being applied for.

#8 AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)

Market Cap – $237.90 billion

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) requires a mandatory urine test be taken as the final step of its pre-employment screening process. While the company will apparently also do some random testing of employees, this appears to be infrequent.

#7 Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT)

Market Cap – $239.88 billion

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT), the world’s largest private employer with 2.3 million employees globally, requires at least some of that sea of employee humanity to undergo drug testing. In addition to drug testing of new hires, Wal-Mart may also perform drug tests after accidents, or when considering employees for promotions.

#6 General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)

Market Cap – $243.63.03 billion

At number 6 on our list of biggest companies that drug test we have General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) that has mandatory pre-employment drug screening and may also randomly test existing employees. GE employees may also be subject to drug tests when they’ll be working at a customer site, should that customer request such testing (and it complies with applicable laws).

#5 JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)

Market Cap – $295.74 billion

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) requires urine drug testing of all designated supplier personnel, at the supplier’s expense. They are required to test for cocaine, amphetamines, cannabinoids, and opiates, among other substances. They may also be subject to random drug testing.

#4 Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)

Market Cap – $347.11 billion

We are continuing our list of biggest companies that drug test with Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) that states that it requires all applicants to take a urinalysis test, while some applicants may also be required to take an alcohol test. However, it was reported by Bloomberg in 2012 that Exxon Mobil would begin doing hair follicle testing instead of urine testing, so it’s unclear which test is the current standard used by the company. At any rate, drug testing is standard at Exxon Mobil, which has been trying to combat prevalent drug use among rig workers.

#3 Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Market Cap – $353.38 billion

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) tests employees for drugs and alcohol as part of its efforts to have a drug-free workplace. The company’s employee health insurance program may cover employees who need to enter rehab or take part in another form of treatment program, so long as the employee isn’t currently subject to disciplinary action.

#2 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)

Market Cap – $411.44 billion

At the second place on our list of biggest companies that drug test we have Warren Buffett‘s holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) that performs mouth swabs of employees as part of the application process at several of its subsidiaries, including at Applied Underwriters and Berkshire Hathaway Assurance. Random drug tests of employees are also performed.

#1 Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Market Cap – $486.03 billion

Topping the list of the 10 biggest companies that drug test is e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). The company most commonly does a mouth swab test at the end of the application process, though other applicants and/or employees have stated that the company has also done urine and hair testing. In addition to potentially requiring a drug test as the last step in its application process depending on the position being applied for, Amazon may also randomly test employees.

That wraps up our list of the 10 biggest companies that drug test. What are your thoughts on drug testing? Is it an invasion of privacy, or should employers have every right to test their employees for drug use? Share your thoughts with our readers in the comments section below.

Disclosure: None