Why Companies Are Relaxing Employee Drug Testing

By and | March 6, 2018

  • March 6, 2018 at 7:33 am
    DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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    • March 6, 2018 at 10:00 am
      cubicle rat says:
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      I think my biggest problem is that I believed you each time you called for unity between liberals and conservatives and an end to personal attacks. Shame on me, I guess..It sure seemed genuine at the time.

      This comment isn’t necessarily related to what you just posted, just a general observation.

      • March 6, 2018 at 1:12 pm
        DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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        • March 6, 2018 at 1:46 pm
          cubicle rat says:
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          Like I said, Yogi, shame on me. At least Agent doesn’t try to hide his hypocrisy.

          Best of luck to you both. add me to the long list of people who have completely stopped reading the comments section because of you and Agent.

          Andrew–if you’re out there, I hope you implement those commenting policies soon, requiring ID verification before someone can post. I know you don’t have time to monitor all the comments, but some posters will never learn to stop attacking others.

          • March 6, 2018 at 2:35 pm
            Agent says:
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          • March 6, 2018 at 2:41 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            Agent wrote, “cubicle, you are a liar and a rat.”

            Still up to the personal attacks, huh Agent?
            DECEMBER 29, 2017 AT 3:32 PM
            Agent says:
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            You can also use Glue Stick instead of Chap Stick troll.

          • March 6, 2018 at 2:44 pm
            Confused says:
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            He wrote that line using the simple future tense

          • March 6, 2018 at 2:53 pm
            DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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            RaTroll

          • March 7, 2018 at 7:50 am
            DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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            ID verification? You think no ID is required now? LOL

          • March 7, 2018 at 8:42 am
            Confused says:
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            If this post posts, yes – no real ID is required since I put my email address as madeupemail@gmail.com

    • March 6, 2018 at 1:59 pm
      Captain Planet says:
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      Yogi, you write, “‘Excellence’s’ Liam Meyer makes contradictory statements by saying they relaxed drug testing, but later says they set up a hotline to help employees with drug problems. I applaud the latter action only.”

      How is that a contradictory statement? Not everyone who partakes in occasional recreational use has a “drug problem” much the same as not everyone who drinks on occasion has a “drinking problem”. I do agree with you when you applaud the fact a hotline has been set up for any of the workers who may experience a problem. I hope it includes any employee who has an addiction to the drug, alcohol. My hunch is that hotline will service those addicts as well.

      • March 6, 2018 at 2:55 pm
        DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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        Here’s the clue: ‘problem’ employees are admitted rather than turn them away, to be treated for their addiction, or to give it up by themselves.

        • March 6, 2018 at 3:03 pm
          Agent says:
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          • March 7, 2018 at 8:39 am
            CL PM says:
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            Not necessarily true, Agent. I smoked weed in college but have not touched it in the last 33 years. I also have not had a drink of alcohol in 33 years but don’t condemn anyone who does either.

          • March 7, 2018 at 10:42 am
            Agent says:
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          • March 8, 2018 at 8:53 am
            Captain Planet says:
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            He’s not lucky, Agent. There’s nothing physically addictive about the plant. So, it’s pretty easy for anyone who doesn’t want to partake any longer. Or, to partake occasionally. Or, to try it once and decide never to do it again. It’s not the Charles Bronson Deathwish you make it out to be. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong.

          • March 12, 2018 at 1:12 pm
            bob says:
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            “He’s not lucky, Agent. There’s nothing physically addictive about the plant. So, it’s pretty easy for anyone who doesn’t want to partake any longer. Or, to partake occasionally. Or, to try it once and decide never to do it again. It’s not the Charles Bronson Deathwish you make it out to be. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

            https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive

            Do you look these things up before you speak? Marijuana is addictive, and it’s for nearly the same exact reason meth is, I will go over some of that below. I remember people in high school talking about how other drugs were physically addictive and marijuana was not. You could quit at any time they said. On a side note I may have been wrong, I once thought you were Agent’s age and foolish. Over time I have come to believe the reason you are so extreme is you are a liberal who was created as a millennial age group, the most indoctrinated and worst kind of liberal. I was too young to see the signs back then though. I was in my mid 20’s back then. Back on topic:

            http ://ww w.iflscience.com/brain/smoking-too-much-dope-causes-dopamine-deficits-brain/

            htt ps://ww w.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive

            Most drugs are addictive for similar reasons and have a similar goal. Increase dopamine and serotonin levels. Are you aware sex addiction and porn and masturbation addiction works the same way? Dopamine is heightened during sex. While many and even most people can be responsible, some people then get addicted, and like all these things, you can have problems creating dopamine naturally after that point. It’s a crash, for sure.

            Some people believe there are no consequences to weed whatsoever. These people are being fooled and mislead by people like you, who don’t know what they are talking about.

            These are the people who are likely to take it foolishly and get into trouble, people who we cannot educate in school who already graduated. We need both more research, and, caution.

            Not your ignorance.

          • March 12, 2018 at 1:30 pm
            bob says:
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            The most interesting thing about sex addiction is this, as a side note, and it really proves the existence of God to me.

            I mentioned sex addiction and dopamine.

            If you’re in a healthy relationship, a healthy sexual relationship produces dopamine in a way that has no harming affects.

            If you go from relationship to relationship, your dopamine production usually is based on attractions and or selfish behavior. When you get to a certain point, your brain gets worse with it, but only if you’re basically being immoral and attraction based to go mate to mate? Very interesting isn’t it? But when you stay with the same partner, it’s unusual for a sex addiction to be harmful when it isn’t accompanied by a porn addiction.

            Dopamine works best when you do the right thing in other words.

            That is a gross over simplification I realize a science buff might go on to say:

            Well of course dopamine creates a bond so that society doesn’t fall apart and encourages people to stay together…

            And yes, of course it does and it has biological benefit, but that’s still weird when you consider what triggers it to not work toward that goal goes in tandem with Christian teachings.

          • March 12, 2018 at 2:18 pm
            Ron says:
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            No one on IJ has state that marijuana has no consequences. Us pro-legalization people just believe it is not the government’s place to dictate what we do and do not consume.

            Nearly everything you consume can have consequences. Either because it is processed, fatty, mind altering, chocking hazard, allergies, etc. Laws and the government should only be concerned with protecting us from each other, not ourselves.

            Go head, call me a big government liberal again.

            Based on your second post, I am assuming you will be withdrawing your support for President Trump. Or are a few extra bucks in your pocket fair compensation to abandon for your morals and beliefs?

          • March 12, 2018 at 2:31 pm
            Confused says:
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            Love it when bob’s link proves the other side of the argument. Gee. 9% addiction rate? I’d LOVE to see meth and alcohol have a similarly low addiction rate to prove they’re equally addictive.

            “Marijuana use disorder becomes addiction when the person cannot stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life.

            Estimates of the number of people addicted to marijuana are controversial, in part because epidemiological studies of substance use often use dependence as a proxy for addiction even though it is possible to be dependent without being addicted.

            Those studies suggest that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it”

          • March 12, 2018 at 2:32 pm
            Confused says:
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            oops. my bad. that’s NOT a 9% ADDICTED rate, it’s a 9% DEPENDENT rate! Two totally different meanings and even further proof that marijuana is not nearly as addictive as you’re claiming it is.

        • March 6, 2018 at 3:26 pm
          Captain Planet says:
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          Hmm, sounds more like a solution to me. Anyone with an addition should get proper treatment, if they’re willing to undergo it. Excellent they will be admitted rather than turned away.

          • March 7, 2018 at 7:52 am
            DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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            Companies and their stockholders are NOT drug addiction treatment centers. Watch how fast stockholders dump stocks of companies trying to rehab employees on company expenses. Medical insurance programs are the only way to resolve drug addiction problems that weren’t detected by drug screening and those arising after a person is hired.

          • March 7, 2018 at 8:43 am
            Rosenblatt says:
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            Companies and their stockholders are NOT day care centers either, but plenty of companies have them on site because it provides a benefit to their employees.

          • March 7, 2018 at 9:07 am
            Captain Planet says:
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            Companies and stockholders are NOT legal centers, but legal counseling benefits are often provided.

            Companies and stockholders are NOT psychological and family counseling centers, but those benefits are often provided.

    • March 7, 2018 at 7:47 am
      Tax Cuts 4 PolaRich Bears says:
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  • March 6, 2018 at 1:33 pm
    Captain Planet says:
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    “Some jobs, such as those involving the use of heavy machinery, will always require drug tests. Excellence Health still drug-tests any employee working on a government contract, even in states where weed is legal. Companies are also reserving the right to test after an accident or if an employee comes to work notably impaired.”

    Wow, what a common sense approach! Hey, this is the private sector practicing in a free market to gain employment talent. Isn’t that the conservative and libertarian way? I applaud it. Do you think Burger King will start refusing those who partake, too? Or, just not hire them? I’m sure they don’t discriminate who eats their crappy burgers.

  • March 6, 2018 at 1:51 pm
    RustytheCat says:
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    I can be considered a liberal. I know of a couple fellows who use recreational marijuana on a daily basis to the point I think they are addicted at some level. Both are smart guys but there is noticeably a lessening of their cognitive abilities. That being said, they can do jobs that take minimal brainpower but I would not trust them to drive a vehicle, read the labels on the medications dispensed at the pharmacy, read & understand an insurance policy, assemble a machine that I was about to purchase. While I am not against the weekend recreational use of marijuana, the guys that need the weed like a cup of coffee to start the day scare me. Question: Just like you can test for the level of alcohol in the blood, is there a test for levels of marijuana in one’s system so those with low levels can still be hired but abusers not hired?

  • March 6, 2018 at 2:30 pm
    Dave says:
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    I just wanted to point out that the article says that nine states, and the District of Columbia, now have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The article does not mention that 29 states, and DC, have made it legal to use marijuana as treatment for certain diseases or other medical conditions. The number of people who may use the drug legally is far greater than just those recreational users in nine states.
    From what I have read, companies in most of those states are allowed to have employment policies that prohibit the use of weed, and may fire employees who test positive, even if they are taking the drug with doctor approval for a legitimate medical condition. Does that seem fair and reasonable?

    • March 6, 2018 at 2:57 pm
      DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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      Fair & reasonable if there are alternative treatments / drugs. And, there are alternatives.

      • March 7, 2018 at 7:58 am
        DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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        Several stoners don’t want to know about the alternative pain meds. They prefer to use med pot as a stepping stone to legalizing recreational pot. Two different things, that they fail to distinguish.

        • March 7, 2018 at 10:10 am
          Rosenblatt says:
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          Nice broad-brush painting stroke, but okay … … … I’ll bite: please tell us which pain medication(s) you’re talking about that you think is safer than a CBD-only strain of marijuana, which is what people who are in pain would actually be taking to alleviate their pain (unlike “those stoners” who want their weed with THC too).

    • March 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm
      FFA says:
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      I suppose if its legal for Rec use, then Health Insurance Carriers wont have to pay for it for Medical use. Is it a way to help control cost of Health Insurance????

  • March 6, 2018 at 2:51 pm
    Craig Cornell says:
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    The good news is that “recreational” (weeee!) pot is legal now in primarily liberal states, meaning it is mostly liberals damaging their own brains.

    Check back with me in 20 years about how that works out for you all. Your senior years should be filled with plenty of fun . . .

    • March 6, 2018 at 3:07 pm
      Agent says:
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      Craig, I believe the stoners will have short careers in business because of loss of cognitive function. What business owner would put up with it for more than a few years and then send them on their way to collect unemployment?

      • March 6, 2018 at 5:35 pm
        Captain Planet says:
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        Well Agent, if you believe it then it must be true, huh?

        You wrote, “What business owner would put up with it for more than a few years and then send them on their way to collect unemployment?”

        Agent, there are countless business owners who don’t even have a clue (perhaps you included) their employees are and have been using on a recreational basis for decades. So, to answer your question, MANY and WAY MORE than you can imagine put up with it for potentially the employee’s full career. You’re welcome for the answer and I’m happy to help, as usual.

        • March 7, 2018 at 8:01 am
          DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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          He was referring to screening out weed users BEFORE they are hired and do damage down the road when their cognitive skills fade and/ or they are busted for ILLEGAL pot use.

          You just trolled by intentionally mis-stating his intent. Apologize now for trolling.

          • March 7, 2018 at 9:08 am
            Captain Planet says:
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            Look up Golden Seal and get back to me. You and Agent are the trolls out here, I’m just correcting the misinformation you two spill on a constant basis. Thanks for trying out, Yogi!

          • March 7, 2018 at 12:01 pm
            Agent says:
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            DNC’s, some of the stoners don’t bother to pay attention to the news about the busts going on with weed and meth. The other day, saw one where 5 young people, men and women in their 20’s and early 30’s were pulled over for erratic driving. The trooper was curious and discovered big amounts of marijuana and meth. Needles, pipes and other paraphernalia. One of the women had stuffed meth in her bra. This is what happens when drugs takes over a person’s life. Recreational use leads to big trouble. All of these people have little cognitive function and have almost no chance to be productive citizens. I am sure their parents are real proud of them.

  • March 6, 2018 at 2:58 pm
    CCC says:
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    I absolutely support an employer’s right to set their own drug use and drug testing policies however they see fit.

    Big Government needs to take a step back, remove MJ from the federal drug schedule, and let employers make their own business and hiring decisions.

    • March 7, 2018 at 8:02 am
      DNCs Coll(F)usion GPShip Strzok an IceberGowdy says:
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      • March 7, 2018 at 9:10 am
        Captain Planet says:
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        I’m so old, I remember when you were steadfast against all big government solutions. You’re just against the ones you don’t agree with. Oh the hypocrisy!

        • March 7, 2018 at 2:49 pm
          Fair Playing Field says:
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          You got that right, Cap’n.

          Yogi is essentially saying that while he doesn’t want the Federal Government telling him he has to have healthcare, he’s okay with them telling him which drugs he can’t do.

          Personally, I don’t want the Federal Government doing either one, but then I’m one of those wackos that believes in personal liberty, personal choice and personal responsibility . (c:

  • March 7, 2018 at 12:14 pm
    clarkladisi says:
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    Seriously, too many folks with the “Reefer Madness” hangover. Agent and DNC blah blah blah, test the insurance industry for alcoholic brain. I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and that’s the real problem. Two folks who could use a little green therapy more than you, I do not know (other than the AG). Ignorance and fear seem to be more important than facts for you two – hope you get voted off the island. No value whatsoever. Dogmatism run amok. Maybe go to DC and join the lunacy there – lots of openings at the WH!

    • March 8, 2018 at 8:37 am
      sal says:
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      I’d stay away from DC for now…things are a little “Stormy” in that area…

      • March 8, 2018 at 8:54 am
        Captain Planet says:
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        Don’t forget chaotic and idiotic!

    • March 8, 2018 at 3:07 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      Exactly. Everyone knows that marijuana is harmless and that putting intoxicants into your brain – okay technically a “hallucinogen” – can have no damaging impact ever.

      And these crazy stories about people killed by drivers high on THC? Total fake news, everybody knows that.

      The real topper for the Refer Madness crowd is the scientific claim that exposure in the womb can cause brain damage. As if 3 scientific studies on the issue are enough to convince me!

      What nonsense!

      • March 8, 2018 at 3:28 pm
        sal says:
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        You’ve never voiced your opinion on alcohol…would you, please?

        • March 8, 2018 at 3:57 pm
          Craig Cornell says:
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          Of course. Alcohol is dangerous; literally thousand of years of experience on that one. People get in fights, rape, drive drunk, kill people because of alcohol.

          People can damage their brain with alcohol, although it takes enormous amounts of alcohol to accomplish this.

          And the bottom line: everyone knows what I just stated, around the world, We ALL know the dangers of alcohol.

          But how many know the dangers of THC? 5%? That would be about right in my guess based on talking to many people, including rehabilitation experts. And marijuana is a recent phenomena, considering the spread of use and the increased potency from 40 years ago. We are just learning about the dangers.

          But the ill-informed have legalized it in a few states. And if the adults are hurt, that is one thing. But the evidence that children and young adults will get hurt because of this mass ignorance and denial is overwhelming.

          If everyone knew of the dangers, I would approve of legalization. But they don’t, and the science is just getting started on the research since there are very few people who have consumed lots of marijuana their whole life as a test case.

          Unlike alcohol.

          • March 8, 2018 at 4:07 pm
            sal says:
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            thank you, Craig. That was very well-put.

  • February 9, 2019 at 6:27 pm
    Karl says:
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    Companies that hire based on anything other prior performance and job related qualifications are hurting their themselves, their stockholders, and their credibility with their employees. In white collar settings, the hypocrisy in hiring a skydiver who passed a drug test over a musician who who failed one amazes me especially when they claim its due to “safety concerns”. Companies that drug test are telling their employees that they (the company) “owns” that employee 24/7 and that they will have no privacy. It doesn’t seem that far a leap from a drug testing policy to hidden cameras in the bathrooms (“what are they doing in there for so long??”). Should a company be allowed not to hire based behavior outside the office using information discovered through an invasive and humiliating medical test? NO. And really peeing in a cup because you’re told to by a perspective employer is humiliating. The employee is presumed guilt until proven innocent.



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