The right of transportation companies to conduct random drug testing in compliance with federal regulations has been upheld in court (it was challenged on the grounds that it was an invasion of privacy), so any discussion we have here is moot and the following is just my opinion.
I don't like it, and it has nothing to do with my personal habits as I don't use illegal drugs, in fact I barely even drink anymore.
I don't like the idea that despite the fact that I've never been arrested, and never shown any signs of use/abuse, an outside entity should have the right to randomly and repeatedly test my urine just to make sure that I'm being a good boy. Using the same logic, the police should be allowed to randomly (and without a warrant) search peoples homes, just to make sure they're not running a meth lab or anything else illegal. And I can guarantee you that if that were the case, you would have people saying "What's the big deal? As long as you're clean you shouldn't have a problem with it. Meth labs are a growing concern in this country and the police have a right to know if you're running one in your house".
It's been observed by many that the erosion of civil liberties in an obstensibly free society almost never happens in a big, dramatic way. It happens bit by bit, a little here, a little there, and the whole way people are saying "Hey, it's no big deal because
I'm not doing anything wrong so these new rules don't affect me.", " We need these rules to protect us from the bad people, and if you're not a bad person it shouldn't bother you.".
Risk is inherent in life, it's part of the human experience and you can't legislate it away. The only thing you can legislate away is your freedom, and we've been doing that at a steady pace since the ink dried on the Bill of Rights.
I read an article recently called
'They Hate Us Because of Our Freedom', and while I don't agree with everything the author says, he makes some very valid points.
In one way the people saying that random drug testing is no big deal are right. Considering everything we've already lost, it really is no big deal. In a big picture kind of way, peeing in a cup as a condition of your employment is just one more tiny link in the chain. Enjoy that freedom!