Well sorry about the bad formatting of the article below, but oh well. I saw the following story yesterday on msn, and I remembered it today as I submitted a urine sample for a pre-employment drug test. Actually I felt like quite the criminal today. I was also fingerprinted, and the guy forced me to give an address that wasn't my p.o. box. where I receive all my mail. I should have given him my ancient address.
i found a job for the next few months, but I think it may depend on the results of my drug test. Now normally I wouldn't worry about it, but in the days following getting fired I did smoke out for about a day. I haven't had any since then, but according to the all-knowing internet, there is a possibility that it will show up. If it does show up and I don't end up getting hired, i'm going to be a little pissed. why? i could have cheated the system, but i'm going for honesty here. i've passed up smoking several times in the past month and a half. i could have smoked and then done some treatment to get it out of my system. i chose not to smoke any more (at least until my situation is different). i mean, it's not good for you anyway, right?
i dunno. i don't see anything wrong with marijuana. i mean, other than the possibility of cancer (like with tobacco), i don't understand the big deal. it doesn't help that the ministry of opinion manipulation (or whatever their official name is) comes out with stupid commercials to convince me not to smoke. in all the times i've smoked....i've never seen a dog tell me they are disappointed in me for smoking. i don't think my cat was ever actually disappointed either. i think these drug experts have their drugs mixed up. people who are disappointed seem to be the people who fall for that sort of rubbish.
while i'm here admitting smoking marijuana, i'd like to admit that i'm a much more cautious driver when i've smoked. i drive slower too.
anyway, i've always thought its a matter of self-control. the saying goes that anything excess is no good...and that sort of describes my smoking mentality. but eh...
i haven't smoked cigarrettes in the past month and a half. i'm not even drinking much alcohol either. i consider those much more dangerous drugs, and yet it would make no difference on getting hired. heh. anyway, about this article...i find it a little amusing that they write it is a "problem". i mean, if the article had said most of the usage was crystal meth or heroin or something...then it would not be amusing. marijuana a problem? gimme a break. go stop a war!
in case you're wondering, i don't use anything else. i'm fine with being sober. i'm fine with being buzzed. i don't mind being buzzed. why bother with the rest? as george carlin would say, "i ain't tryin' to double my money..."
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1 in 12 Full-Time Workers in U.S. Admit Using Drugs in Past Month
Monday, July 16, 2007
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WASHINGTON — One in 12 full-time workers in the United States acknowledges having used illegal drugs in the past month, the government reports.Most of those who report using illicit drugs are employed full-time, with the highest rates among restaurant workers, 17.4 percent, and construction workers, 15.1 percent, according to a federal study being released Monday. About 4 percent of teachers and social service workers reported using illegal drugs in the past month, which was among the lowest rates.Federal officials said the newest survey is a snapshot and was not designed to show whether illicit drug usage in the workplace is a growing problem or a lessening one. The current usage rate is 8.2 percent. Two previous government surveys reflected a usage rate of 7.6 percent in 1994 and 7.7 percent in 1997, but those studies involved a much smaller sample of interviews.The latest study comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the Health and Human Services Department. The data is drawn from the agency's annual surveys in 2002, 2003 and 2004 of the civilian, non-institutionalized population. Each survey included interviews with more than 40,000 people, who were each paid $30 to participate.
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Joe Gfroerer, an agency official, said most of the illicit drug use involved marijuana.Anne Skinstad, a researcher and clinical psychologist, called the survey's results "very worrisome" because there are fewer treatment programs than there used to be to assist employees and employers with a dependence on drugs.However, testing programs for drug use are fairly prevalent, with 48.8 percent of full-time workers telling the government that their employers conducted testing for drug use."I used to train supervisors to detect chronic use and intervene as early as possible, and that is a very good, constructive way rather than firing people," said Skinstad, an associate professor and director of the Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer Center at the University of Iowa. "Some employers want drug testing. I'm not sure that's the way I would like to go. What I think I would like to focus on is employee performance."The study also showed that the prevalence of illegal drug use reported by full-time workers in the past month was highest among younger workers.Nineteen percent of workers age 18 to 25 said they used illegal drugs during the past month, compared with 10.3 percent among those age 26 to 34; 7 percent among those age 35 to 49; and 2.6 percent among those age 50 to 64.Men accounted for about two-thirds of the workers — 6.4 million — who reported using illegal drugs in the past month, the government said. Men were also more likely than women to report illegal drug use in the past month — 9.7 percent for men, versus 6.2 percent for women.The study also looked at alcohol use by workers. About 10.1 million full-time workers, or 8.8 percent, reported heavy alcohol use. Heavy alcohol use was defined as drinking five or more drinks on one occasion at least five times in the past 30 days.
18 July 2007
here goes nothing
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