About all this drug testing BS (I have a BS degree, BTW, so I'm qualified to add my own BS to this): In the interest of public safety, and more importantly, to me anyway, the safety of my oldest children, I allow my oldest kids -- 18 and 19 yrs -- to smoke pot at home. However, I do NOT allow them to smoke pot, or be high around the smaller children -- if they can't hold their drugs (or alcohol, too), they go outside until they can contain themselves, or they go to bed. My house, my rules; that simple. Now that everybody is so shocked at me, I'll explain my reasoning: The kids are 18 and 19 years old. If they want to drink beer or smoke pot, they are going to do so with or without my permission. If I say they can't do either, they'll just go to their friends' houses and do it. By allowing them to do it at home, 1) I know they are not out driving, and 2) I can keep an eye on them, in case something happens. I used to be a druggie (I've been clean for 17-1/2 years now), preferring LSD and heroin. I know first-hand that kids will do as they please (concerning drug/alcohol use) whether or not their parent's approve (mine didn't). I wised up and quit before it killed me. I tried to hide my drug use from my parents. If my kids are going to try the same stunts, as a parent, I want to be there to get them medical attention or whatever, if they need it. I know this is getting long winded, but I'm leading up to my point here. Currently, I do NOT take any non-prescription drugs of any kind. My wife and I buy a six-pack of beer for New Year's Eve celebrations, and by the following summer, we're down to our last two cans. I consider myself to be a non-drinker. Here it is, the point to all this: If my two oldest kids are smoking pot, and I breathe the second-hand smoke in the air, I assume that I will have pot in my system. Everyone says second-hand cigarette (tobacco) smoke works this way, so I suspect pot does too. Now, if I go to work, and have to take a urine test, or however they do those things, I should have 1) prescription drugs in my system, and 2) THC (pot) in my system. Should I be fired? I have done nothing illegal. My kids are both over 18, so I have no legal authority over them. Pot is a misdemeanor in California -- a $100 fine, if I remember correctly. Even if it was MY pot, should I be fired because of a misdemeanor? If so, does that include traffic tickets, or do we get fired for just some misdemeanors that somebody arbitrarily decides on, and not all misdemeanors? The prescription drugs I take sell for $3.00 each on the street, I've heard, although I don't know why anyone would take them if they don't need to, I don't have any fun with them. Since my drugs, which are also street drugs, were prescribed by a doctor, is it okay for me to have them in my system, but not for you, my co-worker, to have them in your system? Two beers will get me drunk, yet I know others who can drink a twelve-pack and not show signs of impairment. So that means I can drink my two beers, and go out driving around while I'm drunk, but I can't get in trouble for drunk driving because my alcohol level in my blood is too low. My buddy, however, who can easily hold four beers, can drive okay, but be hauled in for drunk driving because of the alcohol level in his blood. What about over-the-counter medications? Cough sysup had alcohol in it. Do we get fired for taking Formula 44, or Vicks, or whatever? I think drug tests should be abolished. I lost my class A driver's license because of my prescription medication. Fortunately, in my case, I'm lucky because I prefer what I'm doing for a living now, more than I enjoyed driving a truck, or later on, owning a truck repair facility. (I do computer consulting for a living, and museum work, linguistics and anthropology as volunteer/hobby work.) If I wasn't adaptable enough to switch careers quickly, my family would be/have been up a proverbial creek. If somebody wants a sample of my urine, I'll be more than happy to piss on 'em. (Being the owner of the company, I can have that attitude -- I haven't had any employees complain about NOT being tested so far.) Chuck Coker Work: (909) 882-2099 (United States) Home: (909) 886-5035 (United States) e-mail: [log in to unmask] ========================================================================= There have been no dragons in my life, only small spiders and stepping in gum. I could have coped with the dragons. -- Anonymous (but wise) ========================================================================= /\_/\ ((0 0)) +--------------------------oOO---\o/---OOo---------------------------+ | Reference to any specific commerical product does not necessarily | | constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring | | by Charles J. Coker, Muscupiabe Software, Muscupiabe Books, or the | | Indigenous Languages Project, unless otherwise specified. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+