What is the acceptable amount of time that a pre-employment drug test should be taken?

akelly201

We are working on tweeking our pre-employment process.  Part of that process is verifying their driver's license is valid (due to industry our insurance needs employees to have valid licenses) and a negative drug test result.  I had this problem early on and it kind of resolved itself, but it has come up again.  We offered a position to an candidate pending a negative drug test result.  I informed the candidate he should go to the Lab immediately after our meeting.  He waited 2 days instead.  I'm a very skeptical person when it comes to this.  I want to revise our policy to have a time frame in which the candidate needs to submit a sample.  I think that once the offer is made, they should go to the lab within 24 hours.  Is that an acceptable amount of time?  What are other companies doing?

mccormickbarstow

I personnaly would use the "by the close of business today" line and I would include that language by making it also a condition of employment.  Just make sure to make your offers in the morning.  But anyone who waited two days to take the test was waiting for the drugs to clear his/her system.