And most people would feel no aftereffects from a spliff the night before. The only reason I've mentioned delays between smoking and testing is to highlight that cannabis consumption doesn't hamper your ability to work any more than alcohol does, and the examples most often proffered of those who can't control their habit and turn up for work stoned, or even get high on site, are no worse than those who let their alcohol addiction affect their jobs. I'd be a fool to deny that for all my preference, cannabis is still a drug and has adverse affects on your mental and physical health, especially when taken with no consideration to moderation.
I would say that for most people in day to day jobs, it is likely that it wouldn't affect some people, conversely however, it would affect some people too - and that's too much of a risk for me.
Either way, the argument is about companies that do have a no drugs policy, not companies that don't. For lots in a company, having a bit of a hangover isn't going to cost people's lives, and ultimately it's for their manager to deal with. However, it may well affect their ability to come to work!
True, the majority of people don't. I'm not sure of the percentages of people who have ever tried illegal drugs, but the proportion of people who have at some time used drugs regularly is much higher than people realise, and people who take drugs long-term, while a smaller proportion still, is again much greater than most people realise. Contrary to my mother's soaps and American cop shows, you can't always tell when someone's taking drugs.
I think it would be foolish to assume a lot of people haven't - uni was a fun time
However, I'd agree that the use/dependence of drugs and alcohol is increasing, and I agree one cannot always tell. However, over time, something breaks, and more often than not it's the person, not the habit. I've seen unfortunately with a friend - which is probably why I'm a bit negative towards it.
Absolutely, I agree 100%. working for the NHS means you're lucky if your department's just a little understaffed - we can have a qualified BMS and a lab tech off at the same time, and as long as nobody goes off sick, we can just scrape through. That's pretty generous, as far as PCTs go. Still, when your coworkers call in sick and you know it's because they're hung over, it gripes. Saying that, when I worked as a dispatcher in the taxi office, if I felt I'd drunk a bit too mmuch before going to work I'd have a spliff before bed, which did wonders for easing the hangover in the morning.
We have a yellow card system and we log people's sickness, too much sickness, you don't get paid (other than SSP clearly), re-offend and we have a warning etc... the escalation of such has meant we've let people go. If you don't want to work, quit, don't expect us to pay you if you're constantly sick.
However, having someone at work who isn't compus mentis is more frustrating than having that person off sick. Someone who causes more issues than resolves is not worth my time. I've sent 2 managers home recently. One was just burning the candles at both ends and was tired, stressed, and not being professional. We agreed that he should take a week's holiday to get himself back in order - fortunately he did. The other, was having personal problems, relying on the booze and other substances - whilst we didn't know this at the time, we sent him home owing to poor performance. He was later, regretably, let go owing to the discovery of his condition, not without (and still currently) offering him counselling and medical help to bring him back on the straight and narrow. I'd have loved to have tried to help him, but the way he was behaving made him impossible to deal with. He's getting better, but still in no fit state. I'm afraid in business life is tough, you get rid of the low hanging fruit. He was scraping along the ground.
I'd disagree with you on a moral standpoint, on the basis that I consider such policies to be borne of ignorance and false information more than rational working process, but as I've mentioned, I've no sympathy for those who do get busted - whether you agree or not, it's your own personal choice to put your career at risk. You gambled, and you lost.
A policy exists as something to adhere to and use as a yard stick to help manage people, performance and quality of work. Whether the policy is accurate or not, it's perfectly fair to follow the policy. If it affects your work performance, irrespective of whether or not it affects you the same way as others, you have to be consistent with your approach.
However we both agree on if you get busted, it's your own fault.
I think this is because all you see are the tears. As the late Bill Hicks said, you never see a positive drugs story on th news, which is strange, because the vast majority of my experiences with drugs have been pretty damn positive. People don't get that this isn't a seedy, sordid world of intoxication and sodomy. A large portion of drug users aren't crackheads stealing electronics to feed their addiction, they're just folks out for a good time in the clubs on a Friday, or camping out at a sunny festival for the weekend, or setting up a free party in an out-of-the-way field somewhere. In my experience, drugs cause a hell of a lot more joy than heartbreak, but I can only talk fm my own experience in this.
Of course one can only speak from one's experience.
It would be amazing if we could empathise 100%. I would also agree that a lot of casual users probably don't go round robbing/shooting people. However, does that make taking drugs any better? We both agreed it affects people differently, so can we be sure that their effects are completely benign? It's impossible to say.
I personally have never found them fun or enjoyable, but maybe I just don't have that sort of personality, I often can go out without drinking a drop and have a good time based on hedonism. So for me it's going to be harder to accept and understand. I have dabbled in my teens but not since.
So here's where we just have a difference in opinion/personality/experience.
Before the inevitable comes up, do I really think a mother deserves to lose her son to drugs for the sake of a good time? I can say the same about alcohol, or snowboarding. I do say much more about an illegal war in which we have neither right nor justification to involve ourselves.
I agree entirely. Losing a life is no different, no matter how one happens to do it. However, I'd feel more sorry for a mother that lost her son/daughter to a tragic skydiving accident than owing to a drugs over dose. once you take a pill or do some drugs it's in your system you can't just say stop. I guess it's the lack of control I don't like... but also, it's just that it's illegal and you don't know what you're getting. Now dont' get me wrong, I'm not saint at all! However, I know if I speed I'll get points or a ban - I don't know what'll happen if I get a bad trip. But for me the drugs world is a murky underworld which is tainted with negativity for me. I know probably slightly unfairly in some aspects, and I guess the key word should be drug
abuse.
If they were entirely safe, and could be controlled the governments around the world could make a fortune by legalising it. At least then the products would be clean... however, just like smoking or drinking, over time they cause detrimental issues to health.
I'm not trying to be a kill joy, I'd never stop anyone doing what they want. In fact I encourage it. I'm a huge advocate for trying things at least once (which is why I speak from
some experience). I've done lots of stupid stunts (not with chemicals necessarily) in my life, which a lot would consider pointless and daft. So I can't turn (and don't turn) my nose up at people who want to pursue different aspects of life.
However, I will discourage it if it starts affecting your life, well, more so, that of others and people you work with and people that love you. If it starts to have a negative aspect then you know it's time to stop. Problem is a lot of (and no I don't mean most, as I don't know that it's most) people aren't able to stop, and herein begins the problem.
The problem is you don't always know if it is affecting anyone else, and that's really unfair.
I stopped skydiving a couple of years ago after a friend of mine died doing it. I'm not scared of doing it, but I realised that it's not so fun without him, but secondly the high I was getting was tainted. Sure slightly different to drugs, but that was my "high".
I lift weights in the gym instead now - less exciting, but get a good endorphine release - however, if my gf needs me, or friends need me, I'll drop a session to spend time with them, I can say no to it.
Do you get what I'm trying to say?
Again, agreed here. As mentioned, my career is the primary reason I gave up smoking cannabis.
Good for you.
And finally, agreed. I want no harm coming to me and mine, and I always keep that in mind when considering how I behave toward other people, too.
I had assumed as such from an educated and intelligent person - I had no doubts in my mind you would.
