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....I see many signs in workplaces like retail stores that say they have "zero tolerance" policies for alcohol and drugs. I suspect these policies are enforced pretty strictly when it comes to things like operating vehicles - dangerous machinery and the like.
There's another issue too - insurance. My housekeeper's insurance policies (she's a small employer) require her to test all employees - and not hire/fire any who test positive for drugs/alcohol. I guess the insurance companies figure there's an increased risk of accidents - theft - etc. when someone uses/abuses drugs/alcohol.
FWIW - there's nothing illegal about not hiring/firing someone who uses marijuana:
As recreational cannabis sales begin Jan. 1, one fact is sometimes overlooked: Employers still can fire workers for using it on- or off-duty. State law gives employers full authority to impose any drug prohibitions they wish, despite it being legal in Colorado for adults to possess and consume marijuana.
"Employers hold all the cards," said Curtis Graves, a staff attorney for the Mountain States Employers Council.
So you smoke only off-duty? Not good enough. Consuming just at home provides no protection if your workplace drug test comes back positive for marijuana.
Many employees may be enjoying a false sense of security stemming from passage last year of Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana possession for adults in Colorado.
It is not just another court fight over the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees, although it surely is that, as well. It’s also about figuring out a way for the law to account fairly for the different rates at which alcohol and marijuana leave the human body. Alcohol comes and goes in a matter of hours or days. THC can stay for weeks.
And that means, for now anyway, a Colorado employee can get drunk as a skunk on a Saturday night and have no fear on Monday of losing her job to a drug test so long as she shows up sober and ready to work. And it means that the employee’s coworker cannot have even a puff of pot on that same Saturday night without fearing that a subsequent drug test will cost her a job, even if she also shows up sober and ready to work on the following Monday. That’s a patent inequality that is as easy to explain as it is difficult to justify: a “zero-tolerance” drug policy that employers conveniently apply to some lawful drugs but not to others.
[quote=Robyn55;33078280]My own personal opinion about medical marijuana is it's a ridiculous notion that will be employed as fewer and fewer people can afford real medical care for serious medical conditions. E.g., there are a larger and larger number of "designer" cancer drugs that can target specific cancers genetically. But they cost through the roof. It's best to take care of the "masses" by getting them stoned - so they can't think straight about why they're dying because they can't afford the drugs they need.
Tell that to Charlotte Figi and all the parents who have been moving their kids and their lives to Colorado during the past year.
...Tell that to Charlotte Figi and all the parents who have been moving their kids and their lives to Colorado during the past year.
Do you think public policy should be based on a genetic disease that only affects about 500 children in this country?
Moreover - to the extent that marijuana is being treated as a medical "drug" - shouldn't it be tested and approved by the FDA for use as a medical "drug" (which is what we have to do with every other medical drug that's approved for use in the US)?
The FDA doesn't approve new drugs on the basis of anecdotal evidence (and that's all we have now).
Also - the strain of marijuana that these parents are using isn't a common commercial variety that's smoked - it's an oil extract from an uncommon variety that parents feed to children. So the parents basically have to "brew their own concoctions" for their children.
Even if "medical" marijuana is legalized - this will likely continue. Because people who grow marijuana - like drug manufacturers - are not keen about spending money to produce something with such a small potential market.
And what do you think doctors are going to do? Write orders for parents to "brew their own" cannabis based formulas to feed to their kids? You do know that the major proponent of this legislation in Florida is a plaintiffs' personal injury lawyer. And I'm sure he'd be ready to sue the a** off of any doctor who did this if the kid got so much as a case of hiccups..
So - what you'll wind up with is some parents determining that pot is going to help their minor kids for a whole host of things (I'm sure many won't even bother to get a definitive diagnosis of Dravet Syndrome - which is apparently what the Figi kid has). We currently put parents in jail for stuff like this - it's considered child abuse (I read articles in our local paper from time to time about how parents give various illegal drugs to their kids to quiet them down because the kids are acting "onery").
Anyway - if this "home brewed stuff" seems promising - there are outfits like the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (and perhaps others) that can sponsor real medical research. And if the medical research is promising - perhaps some growers who are getting rich off the regular stuff will grow some of the stuff that might help these kids (some of the Colorado growers seem to be doing this - but it seems like a PR stunt to me). And then perhaps someone can find a lab that will extract the oil from this strain in a consistent dose form under accepted standards for manufacturing drugs.
FWIW - I don't have any objections to adults getting stoned if they want to get stoned. But parents experimenting on their sick kids with unapproved drugs - that I don't buy at all. Reminds me of medical scams ranging from laetrile for cancer to bee stings for MS. Except those were things adults were buying for/doing to themselves. I honestly don't think anyone cares about these kids at all - their sob stories are just a way for people to avoid admitting that all they want to do is get stoned. Robyn
perhaps someone can find a lab that will extract the oil from this strain in a consistent dose form under accepted standards for manufacturing drugs.
It's already been done! You might want to watch the CNN special Dr. Sanjay Gupta did. You can find it on youtube. They were going to put this little girl into a coma just to give her brain a rest. Not only has this medicine helped her, it's the only thing that has helped her. I agree much has to be done in labs but as long as it's a schedule 1 drug the feds will not allow it. They really need to reclassify it so more research can be done. The CNN special is worth watching.
...That’s a patent inequality that is as easy to explain as it is difficult to justify: a “zero-tolerance” drug policy that employers conveniently apply to some lawful drugs but not to others.
Inequality? Employers can discriminate against people who smoke cigarettes - which is entirely legal too. Robyn
...It's already been done! You might want to watch the CNN special Dr. Sanjay Gupta did. You can find it on youtube. They were going to put this little girl into a coma just to give her brain a rest. Not only has this medicine helped her, it's the only thing that has helped her. I agree much has to be done in labs but as long as it's a schedule 1 drug the feds will not allow it. They really need to reclassify it so more research can be done. The CNN special is worth watching.
IOW - nothing we can do in Florida will help. So what's the point of all the medical BS? The proverbial "foot in the door" in terms of people who want to legalize "recreational marijuana"?
Best to talk with your local congresscritter then if this is a matter of interest to you. It really isn't that interesting to me. If I cared to buy marijuana - I know the neighborhoods in my metro area where I could buy it on any street corner.
OTOH - legalizing the stuff IMO will lead to the poor getting poorer and more unemployable. The last thing a poor person needs in terms of getting a job or leading a normal middle class life is being stoned a substantial % of the time. A substantial % of us who are upper middle class or higher on the income chain can do whatever we want. But lower income/poor people can't.
When we were building our house here in 1996 - well the skinniest crew of guys were the guys who did the rafter work (they "danced" on the rafters). They all drank heavily and did crystal meth (if they smoked pot - they probably would have been heavier - and more suited for "block work"). Many had lost their drivers' licenses and probably a substantial % of their livers too by the time they were 30. They often didn't show up on Mondays. I suspect a lot lost their jobs during the "housing bust" and didn't get their jobs back when things got back to somewhat normal (they're the class of workers who only get work during a "housing boom" when all the good workers already have employment). Guess I worry more about young people - especially guys - getting jobs these days as opposed to their being able to get stoned legally. Perhaps I am unusual. Robyn
P.S. Lest you think I'm some kind of prude - or Bible thumper - I did my fair share of drugs when I was young. And I smoke (cigarettes) and probably drink too much now too (FYI - the 3 tend to be related). OTOH - I'm retired - and fairly well off. I am probably hurting my health - but I don't have to worry about getting or keeping a job - or paying my health care costs either. Most younger people - in today's economy - don't have it as good as I do.
Robyn, you keep questioning the medical uses of pot. However, why not ask why are people not allowed to test for medical uses? At the end of the day, we don't really know if it actually helps or not other than soe anecdotal evidence.
You also talk about all of the logistical issues. It's no different than alcohol in that regard. However, it's much safer than alcohol in that it's not addictive and doesn't cause violence. Yet alcohol isn't a problem to buy.
I am from Denver - so for those of you wondering where pot is legal and smoking is banned, come visit. And, I must say that I have seen first hand "medical MJ" cause every one and their sister all of a sudden have "aches and pains" to get a medical card. Now a few years later, we have legalized it for recreation. Not pleased - it seriously stinks. No pun intended, pot smokers seem to have no idea how bad they smell. And I really hate seeing people pulling a hit at traffic lights - great, so now that it's legal you have to do it right there in front of my kids and I at the light at 3pm? C'mon - it may be legal, but it's annoying. I am no rightwinger, I smoked some in college, and I will attest that drinking is much worse for judgment, but I don't want to smell this crap all over and the scariest thing now is the pot shops sell the foods and candy made with pot. It looks the same as anything in a grocery store and I worry kids could get into it. Within the first days of it, there were reports of a toddler who ate a pot cookie and was in the hospital - that's totally uncool and obviously the relaxing effects were so good the dumbass parents forgot to put it out of reach. So now we fund our schools with drug tax money and I cannot wait to leave my beloved Colorado - it was not well-thought out or planned, it just got voted on and bam - 300+ stores open all over the city. There are tons of break ins at these stores in the first weeks and there is no real "organization" to this legalization, so I think they pushed it thru too quick. There should have been more outlined rules - I'm sorry, but if you get high before a flight, I don't want to be the one sitting next to you with my 2-yr old for two hours.
Within the first days of it, there were reports of a toddler who ate a pot cookie and was in the hospital - that's totally uncool and obviously the relaxing effects were so good the dumbass parents forgot to put it out of reach.
The toddler found the cookie on the ground outside of her apartment complex. It did not belong to her parents.
The toddler found the cookie on the ground outside of her apartment complex. It did not belong to her parents.
Assuming the mother's explanation is accurate (which reasonable people may doubt) - what was she doing letting a 2-3 year old wander around outside in an apartment complex alone? If that toddler had been in my yard - she might have been dead (we have plants that are toxic). There will always be lousy parents - and - regardless of what we think of marijuana - I think we can agree that lousy parents are <thumbs down>. Robyn
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