I'm one of those HR people you don't want to know. We do drug test pre-employment and if someone is involved in a work-related accident that requires medical attention. The lab that we use reports negative tests to us within 24 hours. If someone tests positive for a drug, the lab will contact the person directly to see if it is a prescription drug. If they have a VALID prescription (one written for YOU by your Dr. and not someone else's) the lab reports the test as negative so we never know.

There are laws out there which protect you from your employer finding out you medical information. The Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act (HIPPA) requires you to sign a waiver if your employer requires medical information. Does every employer follow it? Probably not. Employees are usually open about their issues if they need help resolving a claim or something like that (trust me, people share way more information that I want to know but that's a different story).

My boss knows I'm on anti-depressants. I was concerned until I found out that depression was a chemical imbalance in the brain. So the need for medication is to correct that imbalance. I told him because I wanted him to be aware so he could tell me if he noticed a negative change in my behavior. But I report to the Plant HR Manager who understands the law and I have a good enough relationship with him that I know he'll keep it confidential. Not everyone feels that way so I understand the hesitancy.

BTW - Opium is derived from poppies, so the fact that you eat food with poppy seeds could give a false positive to your drug test.

And even though I'm one of those HR People, I'm not a bad guy! LOL

Joe