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Drug testing in the workplace?

Twentypointfive

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 13, 2018
Messages
47
Hello everyone,

I am curious of everyone's view on drug testing in the work place. The obvious answer is probably "no". I am interested in more of an unbiased educated approach.


I feel drug testing should be allowed but how it is done right now is discriminatory against drug users. That may come across as stupid and obvious but here me out. I feel a company should have the right to drug test an employee but not like it is today. I feel an employee should not use drugs on a company's time. Not to say I haven't had my fair share at work. However, my unbiased opinion, If you are on the clock you shouldn't be using drugs. It effects performance and can be hazardous to other people which in turn can increase insurance premiums. Drug testing should be done in a way where employers can determine if an employee is currently on drugs at work. But what a person does in their own time is their own business. Current drug testing is very intrusive and discrimanatory. Since drugs have such a negative stigma, the government and society has permitted companies to grossly over step its bounderies and terminate thousands of american employees based on drugs being present in their system regardless of being high at work or maybe just being intoxicated at home during their own time on the weekend. Corperations in a broad sense have way too much power and influence in todays society (imo because of money and government lobbying influence). An example of corperations over stepping boundries: You hear public figures loosing their jobs for speaking their opinion on facebook or twitter meanwhile the 1st amendment should protect someone to say whatever they pretty much want without serious repercussion. For some reason we approve when a company fires someone in order to protect their corperate image. In fact, we get excited and fuel the fire on social media... Praising said company for removing this "social tyrant" like a good ole fashioned witch hunt. This to me is way out of line and completely ass backwards. America i figured would want freedom and as little industry/government regulation in the workplace as possible. Work and private life should be treated seperately... Whatever it may be (drugs, speech, etc).

Your thoughts please,
Twentypointfive
 
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I think I'm basically with you. I do believe that generally if an employee is exhibiting an impaired state, I'm afraid an employer should probably have the right to test someone. However, like you stated, unfortunately there are drugs that would show up on a drug test when in fact, nothing illegal was done. And this my friend is the incredibly slippery slope that opening the whole workplace drug testing deal gets very hairy. Luckily I currently work with a union behind me and they are pretty good about holding my employer's feet to the fire when it comes to testing. I've been here for nearly 3 years and I have never heard of anyone being tested.

Anyway, interesting topic which I'm sure is a hot button for many.
 
More dangerous industries I believe it should be mandatory. I used to work in a tire shop, we worked with equipment, and of course peoples cars, and we had a guy that would go and shoot up heroin in the bathroom and come out noticeably impaired. He was never drug tested, he literally just forgot to come to work for a week because he was so fucked up.
 
I agree. It is very much a slippery slope. Where should the line be drawn? Should there be a line? Should we support drug testing across the board regardless of occupation, regardless of the individuals situation? Or are current drug testing methods too invasive and unfair to the casual, responisble drug user? Or even the "non drug user" who just feels we live in a world where a citizens privacy is no longer protected or taken seriously and companies are digging too deep into a mere employees personal life/space?
 
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As I said, if the job involves some dangerous situation, such as use of machinery, drug tests are necessary. But the janitor at generic inc? What reason is there to test him/her?
 
At my work you do 1 test to get in and if you have a injury that's your fault they will test as well. I just wonder what's gonna happen now that weed is pretty much legal in the USA, will they drop that from the test now?
 
At my work you do 1 test to get in and if you have a injury that's your fault they will test as well. I just wonder what's gonna happen now that weed is pretty much legal in the USA, will they drop that from the test now?

From what I understand, a company can turn down employment or terminate someone that tests positive for marijuana because it isnt federally legal. So basically it is up to the company. Companies generally dont approve of drugs or drug use so my guess marijuana will remain a prohibited substance in the work place regardless if it is consumed (recreationally or medicinally) until the federal government deems it illegal to descriminate against it.
 
@bptubbs
I mostly agree with what you said. However, you can be a safe and responsible person at work and still have drug metabolites in your system from the weekend at home. Why is it ok that the employer can terminate you based on what you did several days ago at home? How much personal privacy is ok to hand off essentially a total stranger? And is it fair to give this person so much power and authority over your personal life? Should we just accept that certain people in this world have the right to decied what you do in your pastime?
 
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I mainly meant if someone was showing signs of intoxication on the job, should've clarified.
 
Oh. Ya, I totally agree with that. If someone appears intoxicated, f*ck that dude. Drug test his dumb ass before he hurts someone lol
 
I am just very interested in everyones point of view. This is an important issue to me. At my job, we are subject to random drug screens... 10% randomly selected weekly for insurance purposes... plus everyone takes an annual drug test. I get upset because none of us are coming to work intoxicated. I feel we are in a "guilty until proven innocent" situation. And Im genuinely concerned that this practice could someday become the social norm at other companies because no one seems too concerned about it.
 
It is, my job does the same thing, the old one didn't drug test at all, even if you got injured.
 
I can see some jobs drug testing for safety reasons.

tests would have to be very random and intrusive to catch someone because anyone can bring someone elses clean piss into a drug test
 
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