I was in a weird thinking mood last night, and all of a sudden I was overcome with terror at the thought of drugtesting. What right does any body or legal legislation have to violate your body and test for drugs? The only exception I can see to this is if a person were causing harm to the people and it was mandated by a court or a jury that drugtests should be administered to prevent future damage by this person. My body is MY body, and for anyone else to probe it for illegal substances is outrageous. I think that if the government or a law enforcing agency catches a person in the act then that person should be punished, but it is redicoulous to test a person afterwards and punish them then. I’m mainly talking about marijuana, I don’t consider breathylizing a big offense, especially since they do it when you’re driving if you’re drunk in which case you’re being reckless and putting peoples lives at stake.
They do it only because they can… If they didn’t test you, the testers would be out of a job… And you dont have to take the random job Drug tests (you wont keep your job, but you dont have to piss in the cup)…
Generally, no one can force you to take drug tests UNLESS you have done something reasonably stupid to warrant one… The only exception are the random drug tests you go through to keep your job… I definitely dont agree to those, what i ingest on my personal time is my buisness… And if they can’t tell im coming to work on drugs, then why test???
i condsider it to be in invasion of privacy, unless in cases where you are already obligated, such as roadside sobriety tests, and jobs where you operate heavy machinery… (which i’m still not too keen on, but understand the reasoning behind it…) Drug testing in schools goes too far, in my opinion.
Its absurd to target drug-users as criminals, while completely overlooking the largest drug trafficers that constantly bring drugs into the US…
you have to be kidding me… they’re testing you for drugs at WORK?
It’s illegal in France. You have to visit the doctor once a year to keep your job, he asks you vain and simple questions - among them "So, you take drugs?, to which you can say “yes” without any problem. The doctor’s pledge to secrecy is so strong in France, it’s of no judiciary value in a courtroom.
The company you work for is responsible for the safety of the other employees and financially responsible for any damage to machinery, other persons, or whatever if you are on drugs and cause harm.
It’s the same thinking behind firing someone who doesn’t show up to work, or is tired and doesn’t pay attention - those character flaws could cause harm to other employees, or cause financial damage to the company…and seeing as you technically have “no right” to work there in the first place…you would be fired.
It’s not an ethical question, it’s “Real World” application. You have to think outside of the box on this one and see it from all angles, not just a “civil rights” point of view.
If I own a warehouse company, I don’t want some pot-head driving my forklift around.
Besides it is illegal to consume certain drugs in the USA, and the mere fact that you are doing it, you are just plainly breaking the law.
This has nothing to do with your civil rights, it’s business and law enforcement.
To be honest, the thinking so far has been selfish, because the laws are in place to protect people from those who commit crimes. Companies require drug testing to ensure a safe working environment according to Federal Laws and OSHA safety regulations…
This is just plain and simple -
who grants you this “privacy” thing in the first place anyway? “Rights?” Who gives you rights? All concepts which can just as easily be given, changed and taken away by those who define them in the first place. You have rights? I have lefts.
Don’t break the law by abusing illegal substances and you won’t have to live your life in fear.
I always thought that school drug tests applied only to athletes. If you don’t want to take a drug test, don’t play high school sports!
Well put sen and pr!
It’s all about choices. If you want to take illegal substances, then don’t work for a company that requires drug tests. Most companies that offer insurance will require you to take some sort of a yearly exam.
Complaining or rationalizing why you want to or should be allowed to break the law is silly.
Yeah, just stick with legal, taxable drugs, and you won’t have anything to worry about…
I think that perhaps marijuana should be legalized in that case. If you think about it, we are born on this land which happens to have a government that bans marijuana. But marijuana is just a plant like anyother thing, its natural. Its not syntheticallly produced or anything, and I think therefore, being citizens of this earth, then we should have rights to it, and that people shouldn’t be able to test us for it unless we’re endangering other people. I mean, I wouldn’t want a pothead operating a forklift while he was high, but if hes not then I don’t have a problem with it. So you don’t want some druggy working for you? What about the perverts who dress in womens clothes, and rapists, and murders, and other weirdo things. Are you going to put cameras in their homes to make sure they don’t work for you too? No, cause that is a major intrusion on privacy. Yet they’re allowed to do it for drugs. I know doing drugs is more prevalent than that other stuff, but still.
We give ourselves these rights, its called Democracy. We’d be fools to let anyone take it away from us.
EDIT: We were sleeping when they passed the Patriot Act.
No one wants to break the law, Kirupa, and we’re definitley not rationalizing, we’re just giving our opinions. Mine is that drugtesting should be illegal except for in certain cases which I mentioned earlier.
I still don’t understand why companies would want to enforce the law. It’s not their job… they’re just here to make money.
I see it as extremely ethical. It’s not the company’s job to check if you take drugs at home (you are aware that marijuana stays in your system for up to 3 weeks, right?), but the effects rarely last longer than an hour. Smoking pot at 2am on a saturday night won’t prevent me from doing the exact same job I would be doing if I hadn’t taken drugs… So why should I be fired, then?
prstu> civil rights come BEFORE business in my world…
I agree, Pomme_.
Personally, I think drug testing by the state (or any government) is ridiculous. However, I do agree with businesses (or if the government is employing you) being able to not accept you to a job if you test positive, or keep “up-to-date” on drug tests if they deem it necessary. Pomme, businesses don’t (i don’t think it’s legal either) press charges for private drug tests related to work. If a business tells it’s prospective employees that it wont allow anyone to drink, I think that should be their right. A job is a private agreement. Not a government controlled entity (but maybe thats the conservative in me talking). I’m for less regulation on pretty much everything (Businesses, People, Tax, Drugs).
I enjoy a good toke every now and then aswell, but I understand the circumstances surrounding it. If you’re asking that marijuana be legalized, I’d agree. If your asking for businesses to stop being able to discriminate (NOT A BAD WORD) against marijuana users, sorry, but I disagree.
Two reasons I know that businesses drug test is:
1. Health Insurance
Most companies in the US offer their employess health insurance in partnership with a larger insurance company, and insurance companies are not interested in treating people who may be addicted to drugs.
2. Liability
A while ago, some stock broker sold the wrong stock, the guy was on drugs when he did that, client filed lawsuit, and the brokerage firm ended up paying a lot in damages. Cases like that occur frequently, so companies need to protect themselves from being sued. Not enforcing a no-drug policy is like asking someone to come and sue you.
I’m sure there are more, but those are the two that I know right off the bat.
:hugegrin:
I mean, I wouldn’t want a pothead operating a forklift while he was high, but if hes not then I don’t have a problem with it. So you don’t want some druggy working for you? What about the perverts who dress in womens clothes, and rapists, and murders, and other weirdo things. Are you going to put cameras in their homes to make sure they don’t work for you too? No, cause that is a major intrusion on privacy. Yet they’re allowed to do it for drugs. I know doing drugs is more prevalent than that other stuff, but still.
That’s why there are background checks. They investigate those sort of things, you would love how deep we dig here at work 
And besides if you exhibit behavior or it is found out that you are doing those other “things” then yes you would be investigated and fired.
It’s the same thing with drug-testing…pre application screening is all it is.
Pomme - part of our law states that everyone is responsible in some fashion for upholding the law. Companies have a liability to the law to report suspicious activity or illegal actions. It’s looked at as normal and good by the majority.
Now there are laws protecting our privacy and protecting us from certain actions that our employer might try to take…
it’s a very good balance.
I’d agree prstudio, but I disagree with the law. Personally, I don’t think the government should be able to tell me what I can do to my body or not. If it endangers myself or others, I can be banned maybe, or put on parole where I’m not allowed, but if you are a user and have had no history, who cares? Businesses are a different matter. They can say what they want, because hey, it’s their business. I have to follow your rules work for you, or else I don’t get the job. Perhaps things should be discouraged, or “delayed until adulthood” (like alchohol), but I completely disagree with banning of substances that are harmless. Controlled substances should be small pox, or the ebola virus. Not marijuana. It’s easier for me to get weed than alchohol (I’m not 21).
Personally, I think the government should regulate it. Tax the hell out of it, and put it on the market. The US drinks 63 billion liters of beer a year. That’s not liquor, or wine or anything. Just beer. Every can is taxed 5 cents. If every beer was canned, that means the government made around 4.6 billion dollars off of beer alone last year. Why can’t we do the same for marijuana?
Well personally I have never had to take a drug test in my life. I worked for the federal government for about a year as well as few other government funding companies and didnt have to take a drug test, and also played sports my entire life and never had to take a drug test. My motehr works for the state for over 20 years and still has not taken a drug test :lol:
So no one has invaded my privacy of yet :lol:
There are 2 ways to look at it, the companies way and your way. Yes of course it’s somewhat of an invasion of privacy, but at the same time companies want to know everything thing they possibly can about you. Why? Because you represent them.
Like PR said, if your high driving a forklift and kill someone, that company is screwed.
Do I think smoking a joint will actually make that happen? Probably not, but it certainly wouldn’t look good now will it?
Bottom line is if your job requires random drug test, then obviously you can’t do any drugs. Which of course includes
I enjoy a good toke every now and then
.
If you want do the whole marijuana alcohol debate, then thats another topic and story . But the fact is that pot is illegal and alcohol isn’t.
but I have news for you. NYC tests their Sanitation workers for alcohol as well. Don’t forget they have to drive
So I can definatly see why and agree with companies when they demand drug tests. It is an invation of privacy, but hey I’ll take a job over smoking a spliff anyday. Have to get your priorities straight. Work is more important then abusing your body, and people looking for jobs have to understand that.
right on digital
lucky on the drug test part - when i worked for nestle we had to take one, i think it was apart of the FDA laws too or something…
where i work now i didnt have to take one, but it was an option if they wanted to make me.
I don’t think they should have them in schools. I’m pretty sure we have them in our school, and it seems like they have to right to do that. We have people as young as 12 going to this school, and I really doubt any of them do any drugs.
