Newbie/Wannabe Attitudes

haha I still don't think they'll get it

 

I have been subject to drug testing for 20 years now (give/or take). If I had a problem with it I would have gotten out of the industry long ago.

I don't know how many times I have to say my argument is about the hypocrisy.

What is the limit on CDL BAC?... .04? Well guess what... That is HALF-DRUNK in most States. Half Drunk!! And the test for pot shows previous use, not present impairment.

SO you can have a driver driving around half drunk legally, but the guy who smoked a joint on his day off could be operating illegally.

If you don't have a problem with that hypocrisy then you don't need to worry about. But the fact that I do worry about doesn't make me pro-pot OR a druggy. I don't even drink on my down time.

And COrookie did too act responsibly. He QUIT using SO he could drive. So he acted responsibly, just not responsible enough. It was a mistake. He should have known that he needed to be clean for MONTHs before driving.

 

I just think its funny how nobody will give you a hard time if you go have a beer sometime after the truck is parked for the night...but light up a joint? Whoa-oh, you're obviously a criminal who should lose his job, or not be offered one in the case of our friend in CO. Either way you wake up sober the next day. The only difference is one substance is out of your system in a matter of hours and tells no tales, while the other stays in your fat cells for weeks or months. So it gets back to the question of how much intrusion into your personal life is acceptable or necessary? Of course you should lose your job if you're caught driving under the influence of anything. That demonstrates very poor judgement and concern for the safety of others and should carry heavy penalties. No disputing that.

 

What we're discussing isn't the morality of drug use, but the facts as they stand.

Fact: Marijuana is against federal law.
Fact: Alcohol is not

There are legal limits one cannot cross with alcohol while controlling a CMV. There are no limits with marijuana, its zero tolerance, you cannot use marijuana in any way that doesn't violate federal law.

Do I violate the law? Sometimes, accidentally and on purpose. No one's perfect and I'm sure most people here are the same. But he chose to break the law, he chose to give it up, and he didn't give it up in time. He was caught breaking federal law red handed by the very company he applied with, and he'll be lucky if any company gives him a second chance.

Until/Unless the laws change, that's all there is to it.

 

Are you sure about that?

The DOT test isn't ZERO tolerance. Read this thread. There is some interesting discussion about test tolerances.

Also, Growing marijuana is a big cottage industry where I live. It's common knowledge that a grower is pretty safe from Federal intrusion if they stay under 99 plants. --That's a lot of plants!

 

I agree completely. At no point did I try to justify the morality of drug use. I do not see anybody trying to do so in either thread.

It is my personal opinion that alchohol is a far more dangerous substance than pot, but you are correct, that simply does not matter.

I agree with this as well. I never tried to justify my mistake, I was just trying to find out what may or may not happen with regards to a future driving job. Fact is, not only did I burn the bridge with the employer but the employer ran the school I attended as well. Now I can not use either the school or the employer as a reference. In addition I may or may not have been reported to the dot or dac. Time will tell.

I would like to drive, I enjoy it, it makes decent money. My thoughts in coming here and exposing myself to all kinds of abuse were to see of anybody had first hand knowledge of a similar situation like mine. Most of what I received was garbage, people not knowing what they are talking about and lots of negative assumptions. Oh well. It is still about as clear as mud what the actual consequences may be.

I appreciate the discussion though, and accept the bashing, yep, I was stupid. I have learned from my mistake, believe it or not. For now I am persuing other avenues of employment while this shakes out. They all require a pre employment screen these days, and I am prepared for that.

Just to stir all you folks up who think I am the anti-christ over this, I am running the numbers on becoming an o/o with my own authority. Even with the potentially stupid ins costs, I think it is still profitable. I may just see you down the road someday.

 

Another reason not to go to a company school, huh?

 

I just read all nine pages of this thread and I must say, It is one of the more toxic ones I've had the displeasure of reading. As a Conservative, I am disappointed in the narrow and judgemental views held by some of my fellow Americans. Nobody should ever operate vehicles or machinery in altered states regardless of the cause, PERIOD, but because it is UNSAFE not because it is ILLEGAL. And saying someone's choice of offduty activities is "bad" because it is "illegal" shows a completely lack of historical perspective. Chances are pretty good that you do something every day that at one time or another depending on who was in charge was "illegal" at some point in history. GUARANTEED. Are you too conformist to understand that some laws are in place for CONTROL and not public safety or maintaining order? Forcing citizenry to bow down to unjust laws is a cornerstone of every socialist, fascist or dictator-controlled government. "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so." -Thomas Jefferson(Republican). In fact there are so many laws on the books today, it is safe to say everyone breaks at least one law every day of their lives. But, it is just easier to troll folks on the internet than to educate yourself on a complex social issue.

 

That's all well and fine and while I may agree with you on most including the quote NY one of our great founding fathers Thomas Jefferson it doesn't mean squat if he wants to get into this industry. If you want to play ball you have to follow the rules. Those rules were put in place for safety reasons. Whether or not pot stays in your system longer than alcohol or not how does his company or the federal government know he didn't toke up an hour before he took the test? Let alone us? I don't know him or his character from the guy sitting across from you on the bus.
I understand that the governments hand reachable entirely too far and I agree but right now its against the law. Some people can get around it some can't. If you want to disagree or fight the government on something ask..."how is it you can tell me how long I can work each day but you can't tell him." That's a farce.

 

sigh. It has been said several times already, the test they administer DOES NOT detect impairment. You actually CAN toke up an hour before the test and PASS!!

It has also been mentioned that there is a test (mouth swab -so EASY to administer) that actually CAN detect impairment... So, of course they Don't use that one. LoL.

This graph is from a "Pro Pot" site, but they are referencing some other study. But it paints a picture... Remember, the threshold for pass/fail is at the "50" mark. The test is on "clean" subjects. --Casual users that smoke once, or less then once a week.

You can see that it could take HOURS for a positive test. The user probably isn't even high anymore at that point. Or certainly no higher then a Half-Drunk driver at .03 BAC which IS allowed!




The politics of pot is easy to understand. Alcohol is a man made poison that is easy to tax. Marijuana is a natural occurring herb that is NOT easy to tax.

It is ludicrous to ding a guy that is not even impaired for having some metabolite in his pee, but send a driver blowing a .03 on his way down the road.