Do you have medical reasons supporting your use of this drug or is recreational use of it legal where you are? That can dramatically change your options.

Stay clean most drug pass in just a few days. Marijuana is longer as it is fat soluble.

Is the type of job one in which you typically would be drug tested? I would consider it fairly typical not to be drug tested, and although I had to undergo a "medical" for one job (in which I had to provide a urine sample, so it's possible they checked it for drugs), this was specified in the contract so I knew in advance they'd be doing it. I would definitely not ask this, and instead just keep off drugs!

If you ask "Will there be a drugs test?", you can assume that there will be now.

You already accepted the job. Other than putting you in a panic or putting you at ease, what possible good would asking "will there be a drug test?" do for you? You should get and stay clean for a few months just in case. If you aren't able to do that, just remain quiet and hope for the best. Whatever will happen, will happen anyway.

If you are in the US, just assume there will be a drug test. Usually there is small print somewhere in the huge stack of paperwork they send you that specified acceptance is "contingent on passing a background and drug screening".

If you would like to ask more indirectly you can inquire about if there is anything you need to take care of prior to starting work such as orientation/training, drug test, or background check paperwork. If you approach the question from the position of "do I need to schedule a time to get tested"(you trying to be proactive and prepared) instead of "will I be tested" (you worried about what they might find) then it will probably come across as less suspicious.

As you were hired already depending on jurisdiction they might not even be allowed to ask for one anymore without reason.

Why don't you ask if there are any further steps you need to complete as part of the hiring process? Generally every place I've worked that had drug tests, they told me about it, and it being part of the hiring process. Retail work tends to test for drugs, whereas software development tends not to, which is kind of funny as if one job were easier to do high, it'd be retail work.

For what it's worth, 25 years ago (and more) drug testing (especially in the tech world) was quite controversial among technology professionals. At the time, there was a well-maintained Usenet list of companies that did or did not "violate your rights" (in the terminology of the time), and many companies definitively committed to not doing such testing. I've been working in technology since the early 80s and I've never submitted to a drug test, so it's not like it's impossible. Also, the issue is much more interesting now with Colorado et al.

It's not really "the wrong impression", is it?

I always just ask about "what happens next" in the process and if there is anything else I need to provide them with or be available for before the first day physically in the office because my schedule/availability will fluctuate as I prepare to begin the position. This covers other crazy things like a copy of my transcripts (for a job at a university) or other official documentation... or... I've had a job require an actual SSN card (USA) where a passport wasn't good enough so I needed to get a replacement. I've had plenty of higher paying IT jobs not test so that's totally possible.

@Pointy. That's interesting. I've been working in software since the late 80s and I've never had a job that did not require a drug screen. I went from contractor to hire on a job I've had for a couple years in Feb and had one required then. Different people have very different experiences.

@bluegreen - shit like this is why I would never move to US for work.

Not an answer, but you should know: unless it was contractually agreed that you would submit to the tests, they have no right to do so unless they show you a subpoena signed by a judge operating with jurisdiction over you. My advice: don't ask; if they say they want to do it, refuse on 5th Amendment grounds and leave it at that — but only if you never agreed to it. Consult a lawyer if you have doubts. This is not a DEA concern, this is a 5th Amendment concern.

@can-ned_food you are right, you don't HAVE to comply with a drug screen, however they don't HAVE to employ you either. No court is going to force them to let you work for them.

@bluegreen Of course. It is a trade between working for someone who disregards your constitutional rights or being unemployed for a while longer. But, yes, just because they want to demand an drug test with no agreement from the employee is probably not, in itself, grounds for a lawsuit — any clever employer would select from other excuses to dismiss them.

Get one of your most outgoing and attractive friends, pay him/her some cash. Have that person take a tour of the company and/or drop off his/her resume at HR. Then have them ask any of the rank and file employees (the young ones especially) if there is a drug test (and if so, what kind? How extensive is it?). Also, if there is a mention of an employee handbook anywhere in the contract they want you to sign, you should ask for a copy of it. Aside from that, you do need to research your local laws regarding drug testing and/or background checks.

@can-ned_food The idea of being subpoena'd for a drug screen is ridiculous. Very simply, the company can (even retroactively) make complying with the test a condition of employment, and this isn't a court, so taking the 5th is really nothing more than retracting your application.

@Strawberry Quite. It would give the correct impression but that is probably not be the impression the OP wants to make.

Small hint: if you DO ask, DO NOT ask in writing (e.g. email). That would put even more bullets in their "shotgun".

@Davor Unfortunately (increasingly unfortunately) the US is where I am, so if I want the job, I have to play their game, which in my experience includes drug screening at every company. I wish it didn't, I'm offended by it, but I'm more offended by not having an income. As much as I would like to get a job somewhere in Europe without all these big brother rules, its not that easy to do.

The reason most, if not all, employers in the US perform drug testing is that despite there being no laws requiring employers to drug test their employees, the federal and many state governments give preference in awarding contracts to companies that comply with the "Drug-free Workplace Act of 1988".