A Question about Medical Marijuana

[chanel]

In medical marijuana states, are there specific laws that deal with WORKING under the influence? Can a person be fired for smoking dope before work even if it is prescribed?

No flames please. I am concerned about how this will be handled in NJ in the near future.

 

[Tom Clancy]

I think it's the same as if someone were Drunk on the job.

 

[ItHappens]

I'm not positive. But if you read some opinions online from users, from what I have seen, it sounds like to the users it is like an ethical issue and they do not smoke prior to a workday in many cases.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

The problem with that is if you are tested for drugs it will show marajuana for 30 days but CAN'T tell you if it is ACTIVELY in your system. Of course I agree you shouldn't work/drive after smoking it.

 

[chanel]

Thanks guys. Its a brand new area, and I expect it to be challenged some time in the future. They should come up with a more accurate test, dontcha think?

My husband works with some stoners (don't we all?) but he did fire one guy for getting high in his work truck. I imagine that would hold up in court, but I'm not sure if they aren't driving.

Also, is there an age requirement? They don't prescribe to teens do they?

 

[slackjawed]

Three years ago I lived in California and was told by a doctor that i saw that I might want to try marijuana to help me keep weight on. Yes, I know, Jerry Garcia and his muchies, lol. Anyway, at the time I was still working for a major engineering firm that required drug testing. I called HR atthe company and asked them that very question. i was told i would fail the drug test and either get fired or have to go to rehab if i failed a drug test.
Of course, within the next week i was called in to pee in a cup. I passed, as I hadn't gotten the marijuana based on trying to keep my job. Then, in the next 4 months before I quit, I got the call to be tested at least once a week. One week I got the call twice.

Since that time, I retired. I have health issues. I use marijuana. I live in Arizona and there is no medical marijuana policy here, so i break the law. I only lived in California for 7 months, for job related reasons. In spite of the fact that Arizona voters approved medical marijuana in TWO referendums, twice the governor overturned that based on the fact that federal law still holds it illegal.
So, I break the law. It helps me keep my weight up. Sometimes I just get sick thinking about food, soit really does help with that sometimes. It also seems to help with pain, but only sometimes.

The fact is, despite breaking the law, nobody bothers me. I know the cops and sherriff deputies around here, and they know I use marijuana. They know i am sick too. Most of these guys I have known since we were kids. They are really down on the meth though, they might overlook a joint or two, but let them spot someone with just a trace of meth and they will bust them in a heartbeat.

 

[slackjawed]

Thanks guys. Its a brand new area, and I expect it to be challenged some time in the future. They should come up with a more accurate test, dontcha think?

My husband works with some stoners (don't we all?) but he did fire one guy for getting high in his work truck. I imagine that would hold up in court, but I'm not sure if they aren't driving.

Also, is there an age requirement? They don't prescribe to teens do they?

When i was in cali, they would prescribe to teens if the parents were on board with it. let's face it, teens get sick too. In addition, in california, one has to be of legal age to enter the dispensory, at least thats what the law says.

 

[ItHappens]

Thanks guys. Its a brand new area, and I expect it to be challenged some time in the future. They should come up with a more accurate test, dontcha think?

My husband works with some stoners (don't we all?) but he did fire one guy for getting high in his work truck. I imagine that would hold up in court, but I'm not sure if they aren't driving.

Also, is there an age requirement? They don't prescribe to teens do they?

That's gotta be a parental consent issue?

 

[kwc57]

Pot needs to be legalized and regulated just like alcohol. I don't use either and never have. If it is legalized, it can be treated just like alcohol in the workplace. Tests won't matter because it is legal. If you smoke or drink on your own time, no problem. If you show up at work stoned or drunk, you get fired.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

Three years ago I lived in California and was told by a doctor that i saw that I might want to try marijuana to help me keep weight on. Yes, I know, Jerry Garcia and his muchies, lol. Anyway, at the time I was still working for a major engineering firm that required drug testing. I called HR atthe company and asked them that very question. i was told i would fail the drug test and either get fired or have to go to rehab if i failed a drug test.
Of course, within the next week i was called in to pee in a cup. I passed, as I hadn't gotten the marijuana based on trying to keep my job. Then, in the next 4 months before I quit, I got the call to be tested at least once a week. One week I got the call twice.

Since that time, I retired. I have health issues. I use marijuana. I live in Arizona and there is no medical marijuana policy here, so i break the law. I only lived in California for 7 months, for job related reasons. In spite of the fact that Arizona voters approved medical marijuana in TWO referendums, twice the governor overturned that based on the fact that federal law still holds it illegal.
So, I break the law. It helps me keep my weight up. Sometimes I just get sick thinking about food, soit really does help with that sometimes. It also seems to help with pain, but only sometimes.

The fact is, despite breaking the law, nobody bothers me. I know the cops and sherriff deputies around here, and they know I use marijuana. They know i am sick too. Most of these guys I have known since we were kids. They are really down on the meth though, they might overlook a joint or two, but let them spot someone with just a trace of meth and they will bust them in a heartbeat.

Meth is POISON marajuana is a LIFE SAVER for some people. I am glad that they overlook marajuana as well they should since the Gov decided to go against the wishes of the legislator.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

Pot needs to be legalized and regulated just like alcohol. I don't use either and never have. If it is legalized, it can be treated just like alcohol in the workplace. Tests won't matter because it is legal. If you smoke or drink on your own time, no problem. If you show up at work stoned or drunk, you get fired.

The problem as I pointed out is that you will test positive for marajuana even if you haven't used that day or week for that matter.

 

[chanel]

Yes but thats not the way it works right now. If a person is high on cough medicine or even tranquilizers, they are usually given a pass. If this is a "medicine", wouldn't it work the same way?

And of course as a teacher, I'm concerned about teens. I already know of a few who claim to get high with their parents, and even more who allow underage drinking. If 18 year olds can get this easier than cigarettes (19 in NJ), we could expect some problems at school. See thread on "are you insane?" Medicating kids is all the rage.

 

[kwc57]

Pot needs to be legalized and regulated just like alcohol. I don't use either and never have. If it is legalized, it can be treated just like alcohol in the workplace. Tests won't matter because it is legal. If you smoke or drink on your own time, no problem. If you show up at work stoned or drunk, you get fired.

The problem as I pointed out is that you will test positive for marajuana even if you haven't used that day or week for that matter.

If it's legal, there is no need to test for it and/or it can be ignored if it shows up in a test. The issue would be if they are stoned or drunk at work, not if it shows up in their system from use last night or last month.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

How do you KNOW people are HIGH at work? Ever hear of VISINE?

 

[Cold Fusion38]

Milhouse did you leave to get high?

 

[kwc57]

How do you KNOW people are HIGH at work? Ever hear of VISINE?

Seriously? That works just about as good as a breath mint hiding the alcohol on your breath. You can tell they are stoned just like you can tell they are drunk.....by their behavior.

 

[kwc57]

Milhouse did you leave to get high?

See the "get a life" thread. I have a job, family and outside activities.

 

[AquaAthena]

In medical marijuana states, are there specific laws that deal with WORKING under the influence? Can a person be fired for smoking dope before work even if it is prescribed?

No flames please. I am concerned about how this will be handled in NJ in the near future.

Hi chanel,

I was listening to news of this issue recently and from what I learned, a person who is suspected of being "high" at work, will be sent home. Repeated times...dismissal.

Also it has been well documented that ppl who are high on pot, are many more times to be involved in accidents while working. Roofers especially. Tree trimmers also. Any occupation also where memory plays an important role in specific job descriptions. Pot does impair short term memory and these incidents are common place with workers on cannabis. Employers would rather have you on caffeine, than anything. Workers are more productive.

 

[Big Black Dog]

In medical marijuana states, are there specific laws that deal with WORKING under the influence? Can a person be fired for smoking dope before work even if it is prescribed?

No flames please. I am concerned about how this will be handled in NJ in the near future.

I was once an armed guard supervisor at a nuclear power plant in Illinois. You could not use marijuana, either medically or other wise, and be employed by the nuclear power plant. They did random drug screens very often on personnel working there. If you came up positive, they conducted the screening a second time. If it came up positive you were immediately terminated. I don't know about any where else. This is my only experience with that question.

 

[geauxtohell]

In medical marijuana states, are there specific laws that deal with WORKING under the influence? Can a person be fired for smoking dope before work even if it is prescribed?

No flames please. I am concerned about how this will be handled in NJ in the near future.

You don't need a urinalysis to tell when someone is acutely intoxicated from MJ or etoh. If the person had a medical indication for using, I would imagine it would fall under the same issue as many other drugs that tend to sedate and alter people's consciousness.

BTW, how many of your co-workers do you think are popping vicoden on a regular basis? I'll bet it's a lot higher than you think.