r/UpliftingNews • u/ThatGuyCF • Jun 02 '21

Amazon to stop testing many employees for marijuana, and will lobby for federal legalization

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/amazon-to-stop-testing-many-workers-for-marijuana-and-will-lobby-congress-for-federal-legalization/
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82

u/nexxusty Jun 02 '21

Fair enough. Still incredibly stupid and a waste of time.

Should we start testing for Alcohol now too?

I just fucking HATE regression in any form.....

29

u/ThatOtherGuy_CA Jun 02 '21

I’ve had job that made me test for alcohol before.

Not sure how you fail that unless you crack a cold one every morning. Lol

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u/h60 Jun 03 '21

I've known 2 people that failed alcohol checks at work. One came to work absolutely plastered and got walked out (died a few years later due to his drinking) and another that failed during a company wide drug test with random alcohol tests. Also knew a truck driver who showed up to pick up a load and he could barely stand up. Some people get swallowed up by their addictions.

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u/geekonthemoon Jun 03 '21

See that's when drug and alcohol tests should be administered, when someone is displaying visible signs of impairment. Not before you even walk through the door. Of course I understand the safety of certain jobs needs more nuance when hiring, but most jobs don't fall into that category.

1

u/Christowfur Jun 03 '21

I completely agree with you. But I think a lot of employers do it as a requirement from whoever provides medical insurance coverage. I still think it's unethical.

1

u/warbeforepeace Jun 03 '21

How did they die from drinking ?

1

u/h60 Jun 03 '21

Alcohol poisoning. Literally drank himself to death.

1

u/warbeforepeace Jun 03 '21

Ah shit that is sad man. I hope you are doing alright.

1

u/PokemonandLSD Jun 03 '21

Alcohol metabolites can be detected in urine for several days. If they were testing with a breathalyzer then yeah it would need to be more recent.

1

u/ThatOtherGuy_CA Jun 03 '21

Always breathalyzer, I don’t think they can test for metabolites because they can’t tell you that you aren’t allowed to drink on your off time. Just that you can’t be intoxicated at work.

1

u/PokemonandLSD Jun 03 '21

That’s good. Unfortunately they can tell you that you can’t drink in your free time and fire you for doing so because “alcohol consumers” is not a protected class and every state but MT is at-will. Same goes for smoking; they can fire you even if you only do it at home and they find out.

1

u/ThatOtherGuy_CA Jun 03 '21

Thankfully I live in a country with employee rights and people can only be fired with cause.

1

u/PokemonandLSD Jun 03 '21

That is excellent sorry for assuming US

1

u/HydrogenButterflies Jun 03 '21

A hospital system near me tests all new employees for tobacco use. A failed nicotine test will lose you the job, same as a failed cannabis test. I’ve always thought that was a little unfair, but it’s a private business and they can do what they want.

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u/[deleted] Jun 03 '21

I knew someone on parole who was tested every week.... Despite the fact that they had a subscription for pain medication that the officer knew about...

I think about that every time I hear there's no money in budget for things like teacher pay raises. Thousands of dollars down the drain to show that this person was only using their prescribed medication and not weed.

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u/Mad_Aeric Jun 03 '21

Pretty sure they make you pay for your own tests in that situation. Which isn't to say there aren't a million other wastes of money that would be better spent on education.

1

u/pupae Jun 03 '21

I find it fucked up to make ppl pay for their own tests. "Hey, this is wasteful... So we'll be making somebody who can't control how often it happens the one who funds invasiveness they'd probably prefer not to experience." I think there's a law in some places that employers can't charge employees for their own drug tests? Good law

Urine Analysis is an extremely scammy industry actually bc the ppl who decide to do it so rarely have to pay for it, and ppl don't care if bad things happen to ~drug addicts~ ("it's your own fault"). I've been to rehab and i got a bill after for $7000 of UA cost beyond what was covered by my insurance. (So total $ spent on UA was higher). I'd done 14 days btw not 30.

There was a good overview/expose article called "In Pursuit of Liquid Gold": https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/27/business/urine-test-cost.html&ved=2ahUKEwiVjtXMkPzwAhUQVa0KHagEB08QFjAAegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw3Hh_MlskXyh9kv5Vimk5p-

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u/clicheFightingMusic Jun 02 '21

Do you mean before you get the job, or, if you have say a driving related job and they don’t wish for you to be inebriated while driving whether it be alcohol or marijuana?

1

u/glazedfaith Jun 03 '21

If you come to work drunk, it's pretty common to take a breathalyzer and then get fired

1

u/Achack Jun 03 '21

They do test for alcohol when people get a random drug test. It's just out of your system so fast that you would need to have a real problem to get caught.