Opinion:: Random Drug/Alcohol Testing at work /poll\

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

Just get a job where they don't care. We do live in a free country, that's why you can be drug tested, and that's why your employer can decide that he or she doesn't want you working for them. I guess it's hard for broke *** people to imagine what it would be like to be giving people money to do work they don't want to do. That must be why it is so hard for you to envision why employers want the most productive members of society on their staff.

while you do have a point, employers don't want the most productive members of society... they want the most efficient workers.
if your extracurricular activities don't effect your efficiency and productivity, its just the same to them. If they DO interfere with your work, the positive drug test provides the employer with a lower cost way of terminating your employment. Its just a strategy that saves more money than it wastes... it could be drug testing or random weigh-ins, they're all the same to the company...

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

Why should they be allowed to randomly take fluids from me? They are mine. Its an illegal search and seizure. Noone should have the right to do that. Ever

quit, or dont work where they drug test. besides, im pretty sure you signed to it, you should have declined employment there when you read that they do drug tests

well how often do businesses or places where you work do these random things

randomly, or if an incident occurs.

X2
Also, many other chemicals can cause a false positve on a drug test (poppy seeds for example) So unless the method is 100% i dont see how they can fire someone and ruin their lives for that reason. Especially if the person does their work in a favorable, timely manner.

thats why they make you do a second one if you fail, or the test comes of inconclusive

i agree to a point.
yes its a privately owned establishment, however, does that mean they should be allowed to do what they please? how about not hire anyone with kids? they can keep the parents away from work too. or maybe, not hire someone who has OCD? they wont be able to do the work in a timely manner. what about the one with torrettes? yes im stretching it, but im trying to prove a point. how is forcing me to take my piss, hair samples, saliva samples, and sometimes blood samples, not against our constitution? what am i just suppose to not work because i choose to participate in a little pot?

you and I both know, it happenst , its not obvious, but it happens, and its hard to prove. all the company has to do is say "we found someone more qualified /discussion"

and what about when you are forced to put 1 hand up on the wall, and piss into a cup with a guy watching over your shoulder making sure you dont try to do anything fishy? thats cool to?

if you signed the agreement, yes.

the worst thing about drug testing is the fact that you really only catch the pot smokers. the crack, meth, heroin (if they can even get to the interview stages) is all gone within 1-3 days. yet the pot smoker has dirty piss for anywhere from 1-4 weeks.

choose your drugs wisely

and the fact is, this thread is going to go on, and on about "drug" testing, when in actuality both everyone in this thread, and the companies them selves, know that we are really just being tested for pot because it stays in the system for so long.

see above

And as usual the individual gets fcked along with his family. Just for smoking a doobie occasionally. Yet these same people can go to the bar every night after work and get piss faced drunk with no ill done. Fckin moronic.

see above

x3. There should at least be some sort of reasonable cause for them to do it. Showing up late to work 4 out of 5 times a week with red puffy eyes and wreaking of marijuana. Then yeah, they are definitely letting drugs affect their work. Get a stoned on the weekend but show up to work every day on time and you are at 100% productivity, then what the **** does it matter?

up to the owners/managers/presidents discretion. Pretty much what it boils down to.

That would be considered profiling and is illegal.

it happens.

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

Just get a job where they don't care. We do live in a free country, that's why you can be drug tested, and that's why your employer can decide that he or she doesn't want you working for them. I guess it's hard for broke *** people to imagine what it would be like to be giving people money to do work they don't want to do. That must be why it is so hard for you to envision why employers want the most productive members of society on their staff.

You are such a dumbfck its not even funny. First off, im not broke by any means. Secondly i own and manage a business so i know exactly how it is to pay people. But guess what? Some of my employees smoke weed. They sure as hell dont do it here, but what they do at home is none of my fckin business as long as they do what i ask. The minute they stop doing that, they are out the door. Again, i dont need a fckin piss test to tell me when to fire someone. So fck off.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Doesn't happen on weed, but what about a person drinkin their *** off at home and comin into work with a hangover and slackin off. Technically they did it on their own time, but its still impacting work.

yes, but thats a visual issue. you can see the guy is hung over, slacking his *** off, a danger to other people etc etc.

if you do a random drug test, your testing for something that obviously isnt noticible to the average person (unless your doing a "random" with suspicion, in which case this point doesnt apply, as the guy is an idiot for getting high on the job). so if it isnt visible, does it mean that the employers really believes that person is a liablity?

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

lol.
but on to the serious part. thats cool if you dont want to smoke bro, im not saying you have to or anything of the sort. im just saying that i think the law is bullshit really.

if there was a way to test on the spot at work as in, there being a 8 hr window or so (like a regular work day) and the metabolites only being able to be picked up in that window, then id be all for random drug tests. this would somewhat insure that you are not high off your drug of choice on the job. but when you smoked 2 weeks ago, and get popped on a test, i mean wtf? are those metabolites really affecting your performance?

but what you do at home? thats just far. just my .02c

I actually agree with what you do at home should be your business. Problem is test can't differetiate whether you did it at home or skipped off into the bathroom. It is a real bum rap for weed smokers. However I have caught quite a few cokers who just couldn't resist dipping into bathrooms for fixes. Honestly if I could smoke and keep my job, I probably would. what it boils down to is I'd rather have chedda over weed.

 

[jimmclrk1 10+ year member]

while you do have a point, employers don't want the most productive members of society... they want the most efficient workers.
if your extracurricular activities don't effect your efficiency and productivity, its just the same to them. If they DO interfere with your work, the positive drug test provides the employer with a lower cost way of terminating your employment. Its just a strategy that saves more money than it wastes... it could be drug testing or random weigh-ins, they're all the same to the company...

Good point.

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

x2 on those to good points...
i belive if i have to take a drug test to recive a paycheck... then i belive that people out there on walfare should have to pass a drug test in order to recive there walefare check.. since it's comeing out of mine and ur's pockets...

TRUTH!

not just welfare, but any government assistance...

 

[BreakingBad]

i think that any policy that judges someones work ethic, morals and character on URINE, is absolutely nut-******* insane.

jobs should not be able to legally drug test, invasion of privacy if you ask me. just because some nitwits "dont have to worry because they dont do drugs" doesnt mean that others should have their privacy invaded and their well being based on their piss.

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

yes, but thats a visual issue. you can see the guy is hung over, slacking his *** off, a danger to other people etc etc.
if you do a random drug test, your testing for something that obviously isnt noticible to the average person (unless your doing a "random" with suspicion, in which case this point doesnt apply, as the guy is an idiot for getting high on the job). so if it isnt visible, does it mean that the employers really believes that person is a liablity?

hung over in some cases you wills till blow high enough to be illegal. In which case most employers have a drunk on the job rule/law/regulation and would fire you. This happens most in the military, but a lot in warehouses also, where you are operating machinery.

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

I wouldnt worry to much about the False Positives...For example, youd have to eat ALOT, and I mean ALOT of poppy seeds for it to show up. On top of that they take things like that into consideration.

I have Zero Problem with them Drug Testing.

Those of you crying that it violates our rights blah ****ing blah....get real...When you began employment with them, wether or not you realized it, you gave them the right to drug test one way or another. If you by any chance didnt sign something, then they will ask before they drug test you. However most companies do it when you sign on. Have a problem with it then dont work for them.

Heres an even better idea, dont do drugs. I care about my job, so i stay clean, its not hard...

When your in my line of work, you might understand a little better why you dont want some stoned working with you....

BMXbikes.....get real....

Also, theres a few ways to do this.

When you are hired on

Randomly During Employment (Either Certain Groups or computer selected)

During certain times of the month, year, whatever

When you are acting funny(Poor Job performance, Sleepy, Out of it)

If you cause an accident or somesort...

Some jobs, i really dont think it matters if your ****ed up, but its the companies choice...If you get ****ed up and work with me, you can bet your sweet *** your prolly going to have a drug test within a day or so....Call me a snitch, but when it comes to my life, id rather see you get fired then me fried...yes thats spelled right.

Also....Alcohol isnt illegal...so those of us who go to the bars.....well what are we doing wrong? Wether we like it or not...DRUGS THAT THEY TEST FOR ARENT LEGAL....Its not up for argument...

You should watch more mythbusters. Actually it only takes very little poppy seeds to show up, and you can eat them as little as 30 minutes before and they will effect the test. They also will continue to show a false positive for over 8 hours i believe. So yes, it is soemthing to worry about. My sister is a lawyer and she has lost many co workers due to false positives. Id say its pretty fcked up system if its not completely positve and you are firing on that test only.

 

[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

Quoting what will be the best statement of this entire thread!!!

it's true... and it pisses me off.... that that is not the case......

i am very fond of marijuana... i love it.. after a long day at work...

ive been here for over a year now. never missed a day, never had a problem... and i have been tested 3 times..... and passed ( thanks to my 10yr old nephew and his clean piss) but im half tempted to call my lawyer if it happens more then 2wice a year... due to harrisment....

and i do not go to work stoned.... nore smoke at work... after work purpous's only.... i have responsabilities...

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

Druggies of the world unite! This random testing crap has to be stopped!

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Uh, what law?

the law that allows it?

 

[jimmclrk1 10+ year member]

Wow jimmclrk1 you are an idiot. Seriously. Since when does smoking weed off a shift, effect your on shift productivity. Have their been reports that smoking once or twice a week effects overall productivity? No. Drug tests dont tell when someones high you idiot. Its to catch those who smoke marijuana since it stays in the system so long. So basically companies drug testing pretty much just means more people will do coke, heroine, or another harder drug if presented with the opportunity because it stays in the system longer. Im saying, what I do in my free time, is my own business. Its completely retarded for a company to be allowed to drug test because they can. These regulations on our life are retarded
Vote for Colbert.

Look ****ing retard. If you sign on to work at a company that states you will be randomly drug tested, and that you are not to engage in the consumption of illicit drugs, don't ***** when they test you. you essentially signed away your freedom to do so by becoming employed. If you are given advance warning, in your employment contract, then you have no reason to say that a random drug test is unfair.

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

You should watch more mythbusters. Actually it only takes very little poppy seeds to show up, and you can eat them as little as 30 minutes before and they will effect the test. They also will continue to show a false positive for over 8 hours i believe. So yes, it is soemthing to worry about. My sister is a lawyer and she has lost many co workers due to false positives. Id say its pretty fcked up system if its not completely positve and you are firing on that test only.

then they will just take hair from your head, arm or armpit.