TLDR: To make a long story short, I interviewed and was offered a Walgreens pharmacy tech position that I officially withdrew my application for today after TWO WEEKS stuck in the pre-employment process due to delays in the drug test. This has been the worst and most convoluted experience of my life. On a positive note, I walked into a local smoke shop with my resume in hand today and received a phone call for an interview less than an hour later. Fuck major corporations and fuck drug tests!
I applied and was offered a job as a pharmacy tech at Walgreens. Initially the interview and background check went fairly quick and everything continued as normal… until the drug test. Now, while I do partake in the Mary Jane, I have been clean for over a month in an effort to pass any drug tests while job hunting, so that was not a worry. What I didn't expect was my prescription medication for a controlled substance to cause such a hassle and delay me getting hired. The initial drug test was a saliva test at the store and I told my employer that my prescription would show up and that I have proof of said prescription. I've never had to do a drug test while on this medication, so I thought I could just show him proof of my prescription and be fine. But when the test came back positive he said he still had to report a positive result and I would have to wait for next steps. What are the next steps? He couldn't tell me because he didn't know. He just said to check my email and that if he received anything about next steps he would call me. Annoying, but whatever.
Fast forward an entire week. I'd received no communication from my employer or the drug testing company. I called my employer to figure out what was going on. Still no clue. My employer had apparently contacted corporate the day before and ensured me that once they got back to him he would update me. At this point I was kinda pissed and wasn't even sure if this job was worth the hassle. I continued looking for other jobs while I waited to see where this would go, thinking that corporate would drag their feet and I'd be able to accept another opportunity before they respond. To my surprise, I received a phone call two days later from my employer stating that the next step was to schedule a urine test (I had already figured that out myself, was just waiting on them) and that I would receive an email from the drug testing company in the coming days. Apparently my employer and I both were supposed to have received an email to do this like a week ago, ya know right after the initial positive saliva test was submitted, but that obviously never happened. Another 2 days pass and I finally get the email and schedule myself to go in for the drug test that day.
I get there, get checked in, go through the normal drug test stuff. But upon going to give the specimen, the lady tells me to fill the cup to the 60 ml line (about 2 fluid ounces). They need how much urine?! I've never had to provide that much urine for any test, not even at the doctors office for lab work! I filled the cup as much as I could, but it wasn't enough. I was then given a cup of water and told I had to sit there and wait until I had to go again and could only drink a cup of water every 30 minutes. I was only allotted 3 hours to provide a full 60 ml sample and was told if I left my drug test would be reported as a refusal and I would lose my job offer for “failing” the drug test. I was livid at this point. I waited over a week to have to go through this?! I started doing some googling while I sat and waited, and found out that the standard requirement for a urine test is only a 30 ml urine sample (45 ml for DOT). The only information I could find about why I was being required to provide twice that much was for drug tests looking specifically for steroids. Then, and seemingly only then, is a 60 ml urine sample required. Steroids weren't even tested for on the initial saliva drug screen to my knowledge, so why the hell were they supposedly looking for it now when I though all I needed was a confirmatory urinalysis to show that the drug I tested positive for on the saliva test is in my urine? All so I can prove I have a prescription for said drug?!
I was so upset that I considered walking out and taking a refusal and losing this offer. But I didn't. After 2 hours, I was able to provide the full sample (after holding it for so long I nearly pissed myself because I was scared of not being able to provide enough) and I left. I didn't even want this job anymore though. After reading employee reviews online and hearing about how shitty the work environment is, staffing shortages, hours being cut, terrible management, it just didn't seem worth it. Plus the constant anxiety I was already feeling about the likelihood of random drug testing and the possibility of not being able to use a plant that has helped my mental health tremendously over the past few years without fear of losing my job, I was done with them before even starting. But alas, now I must wait 1-3 more days for them to call me and tell me my drug test is positive (again) just so I can finally confirm that I'm taking a prescription for this drug, which I've been trying to do from the beginning!
It's been exactly 2 weeks since I initially interviewed and accepted this job offer. Despite the multiple applications I've put in at other places over the past few weeks, all seem to be dead ends as I haven't received a single phone call. Desperate for just about any job that paid more than $10 an hour, I decided to walk into a local smoke shop with my resume in hand and apply for a job there. They submitted my resume to the manager and told me I would receive a call once my resume had been looked over and the manager had decided to start hiring again. I browsed the store and decided to buy some incense before leaving and before I even checked out I was told by an employee that the manager really liked my resume and to expect a phone call in the coming days. I kid you not, less than an hour after submitting my resume the manager calls me asking to interview me tomorrow. So, after two weeks of convoluted bullshit trying to get hired at Walgreens, I officially withdrew my application today and left a message for the store manager stating that I was pursuing other offers and had withdrawn my application and was no longer interested.
Thank you to anyone who actually takes the time to read this. I'm not looking for anything other than someone who can empathize with me. The situation with Walgreens has been taking a major toll on me to the point that I was obsessing over every aspect of the situation, causing my anxiety to skyrocket. I'm glad it's over now though and I can move on.