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View Full Version : A word of advise please



KyleIsNorml
01-22-2010, 01:15 AM
Ever since March of '09 I've been experiencing joint pains in my right knee. At that time I was smoking marijuana and it had help dull the pain if not ridding it. It's been about 5 months since I have tasted the pure smoke of marijuana. I started my job in September of '09, from August to September was when I stopped smoking so that I may pass the drug test in order to obtain this job. I've been working as a security officer with this company now for almost 4 months which will be on the 26th of January. Just recently my left knee has started to increase with pain just as my right knee has. Though there is something very special about my left knee. Every time I walk I can feel my left knee pop and grind. Whether I sit down, crouch, stand up, walk, run or lay down my knees just throb in pain. It's really bad especially when I wake up in the morning.

Here's even the saddest thing. The state of Arizona which I reside in took my food stamps away and my state health care plan because making $1,400 a month is plenty to live on. Thats not nearly enough and it never would be if you live in this state. Some people have told me to get the health plan my job has but if I did that I would no longer have any money what so ever after the bills are paid and that is something I'm gonna have to pass on. I found some interesting news from another security officer who came out to my work just a few weeks ago which is very rare.

Apparently my company started out with 21 locations for security officers to work through out the valley, now this company had dwindled down to 13 due to the economy and that my company charges way to much. We had about 20-30 patrol officers or "Rovers" that would drive around and do rounds where ever they were needed and check up on other foot patrol officers, but they all got laid off. My company does no pay raises, so this means if I worked for this company for another 20 years (If it's still around and I don't plan on working here for that long anyways) I'd still be making the same $9.00 dollars an hour. After a year of working with this company you get one week of paid vacation and after you have used up that one week of paid vacation you don't ever get another one no matter how long you work with this company, it could be 20 years and you'd never get another one. There are no such of a thing as paid sick days or hardly any other benefits that you would get from a full time job and there are no promotions. I did ask the security officer if our company does random drug testing and he said that he's been working with them for 11 months and if his word is golden then he told me "Nope, but that still doesn't mean you should go off and start doing drugs". The thing about this man is he works really close to our company which is in the city of Phoenix as where I work is in the city of Apache Junction. Thats about a 30 - 40 mile drive from Phoenix to Apache Junction and the same goes from Apache Junction to Phoenix. Luckily I live in a city called Mesa which is a lot closer to Apache Junction, I only live 7 miles away. Now another thing too is the last time anyone from my work drove from Phoenix to Apache Junction was about 3 years ago, ever since then no one has came out there. No one calls me nor sends me any letters threw the mail regarding anything what so ever.

This is what my "Security Officers Handbook" says about "Drug use and Alcohol Testing"... "The company reserves the right to require employees to be tested, using appropriate testing procedures, for illegal drugs or alcohol usage."

Then there is this one "Drugs"... "Do not possess, take, consume or be under the influence of any drug, barbiturate, or any from of narcotics or hallucinogen (including marijuana) before or while on duty. The only exception is medication prescribed by your licensed physician and which medication may not impair bodily or mental functions required to respond to your assignment."

Now no where does it say that you can't do any type of drugs when your off work or before bed or when you wake up but since I work out in the desert alone where I could smoke a joint with no one knowing about it besides the friendly 13 cats :D they could possibly say "How do we not know your not doing it during your work hours since no one is out there?" I can see why they could say this because that is true, if I were to smoke at home and they did so happen to drug test me then they wouldn't know if I did it at work, they'd probably assume that I'm just saying I did it at home before bed or on my off day so that I could cover for my ass. I went threw Sonora Quest when I got drug tested the first time when I was being hired and I was thinking that possibly they would call me and have me drive back down to Sonora Quest again for another if that is what they would do. Hell who knows someone might just randomly show up from my company and drug test me on the site I just don't know.

Now I don't like prescribed medications (Narcotics) I have many many factual reasons as to why not and I couldn't obtain them because I don't have medical insurance anyways. But as the increasing pains in my joints increase each day and night I have been ever more thinking about taking the risk of smoking again with the chance of maybe being "Drug Tested" by my job. Though there are a few things that if I did I would lose if I was to be drug tested and I can't afford that right now, yet the benefit of my own health is more important correct? I also can't afford X-Rays or physical theorpy.

If there is anything else that I may have left out that your questioning please feel free to ask me and I will answer your questions as best as I can. Hopefully someone can lend me some positive advise or something?

Oh and this isn't relative to this topic but my right eye has been watering up every since last Wednesday (January 13, 2010). There is nothing in my eye, there is no pus, blood, mucus or any infection that I can see and no discoloration, it's simply just pure water. Regardless of the whether or temperature this does not effect the watering in my eye. Though the eye lid and outside of my eye is irritated from rubbing or wiping it dry. If there is any suggestions on this, please let me know as well because it's just really really annoying.

Thank you!

dennisjill
01-22-2010, 01:01 PM
" medication prescribed by your licensed physician "
This is where you can run into a problem As MMJ is still a class 1 drug, doctors can not prescribe it. They can only recommend it. Hopefully it will get downgraded soon so docs can prescribe.
Dennis from Montana:hippy:

LOC NAR on probation
01-22-2010, 01:25 PM
Do not do drugs and go to the doctor for workmans comp. It doesn't matter how long you have worked there make a claim. The doctors will help you and if they say you can not perform without some kind of drugs it sounds like a settlement for disability.

KyleIsNorml
01-22-2010, 11:29 PM
" medication prescribed by your licensed physician "
This is where you can run into a problem As MMJ is still a class 1 drug, doctors can not prescribe it. They can only recommend it. Hopefully it will get downgraded soon so docs can prescribe.
Dennis from Montana:hippy:

Well the problem with either of those is the fact that the state of Arizona is not a medical marijuana state. I've been trying to find recent articles on the internet about Arizona's laws and concerns about decriminalizing it for medical use and so far I cannot find anything. No bills, no petitions and bailouts. This is becoming really ridiculous :(


Do not do drugs and go to the doctor for workmans comp. It doesn't matter how long you have worked there make a claim. The doctors will help you and if they say you can not perform without some kind of drugs it sounds like a settlement for disability.

I never said that I would consume "Drugs". That's just what the other security officer stated - "Nope, but that still doesn't mean you should go off and start doing drugs" Also I can't just go to a doctor because I no longer have one. After the state of Arizona took my State Health Care plan away from me I no longer have health insurance nor my doctor, hell I can't even go to my dentist anymore due to the cut off. Even if I did have a doctor and I was then prescribed some form of medication I would not be able to consume any type of medication prescribed if it's mentally or physically altering - "The only exception is medication prescribed by your licensed physician and which medication may not impair bodily or mental functions required to respond to your assignment."

Although it was advise from you which I greatly appreciate but I'm against disability but not in general. I'm not disabled to preform and type of task due to joint pains in my knees. I can still walk a great distance, run a great distance, sit, crouch and just about anything else physical but it's the pain that is the problem from all of that and the enormous amount of popping and grinding in my left knee also tends to make it even more painful. Now if I was at the point that I could no longer walk due to some sort of knee failure then disability would be accepted in my eyes. Disability is for those who are disabled from a certain critical reason. My mother is on disability because she is blind in her right eye yet she can walk straight and drive, which is pretty dangerous and I don't quite understand how the state allows her to still drive because in all honesty she drives like she is drunk due to her blindness and also the fact that she has road rage.

But anyways if I was to be randomly drug tested and I came up positive for THC and was then terminated I'm curious to know if I could fight that possibly? If I stated that I smoke during my off days and at nights before I go to sleep, they can't possibly hold that against me can they? What I do on my freewill at home is of no one else's concern nor business and for my work to terminate me that would be their wrong doings correct?

I've had a couple of people tell me just to go on and smoke but I want to have something back me up just in case I would get drug tested. Now I'm not paranoid I'm just trying to find my way out of this, there is always a loop hole in anything and everything. One friend of mine said that he once had this job back in Kansas and he was told that they do random drug testing. He told me they never drug tested him for the entire that he worked there and he just kept smoking. He said the only time that you could get drug tested is if you were to be hurt while on the job and as long as I don't hurt myself then there is nothing to worry about. In his opinion "Random Drug Testing" is just a fear factor to keep us all controlled so that we can't have any fun."

I greatly appreciate both of your advise and if anything I'll still keep these in mind just in case something is to happen or change but if anyone else wouldn't mind dropping me some more advise then that'd be great!

JohnnyZ
01-23-2010, 07:50 AM
Kyle, listen up my friend. I don't know your background, where you came from, what kind of shit you've been through, where your roots are or what your goals in life are, but none of that matters.

Run. Run as fast as you can as far away from that place as you can. I'm sure there's more to the story but from what I see here, your knees are telling you to get the fuck out. Maybe this is already your plan and I hope it is. Save up enough to get your across the country or to get you anywhere, because things are only going to get worse. My family immigrated from Hungary during the revolution in the 50's. They came here with nothing. You can do it too. You might have to turn your back on a few people, maybe even a few loved ones. It won't be easy, but it will be easier than killing yourself for the rest of your life.

I say this with love bro, cause I myself am working a shit job too. I work in a kitchen at a busy chain restaurant getting paid $9 to cut and burn myself. Don't ever be complacent. Find something you love and are passionate about and do that for a living. You can find a way.

KyleIsNorml
01-23-2010, 10:50 AM
Yeah man I totally agree with you. I've had a pretty rough background growing up as a kid. I was never born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I feel your pain working the shit job making $9.00 dollars an hour with hardly anything left after rent, my job has controlled my appearance and none the less the fear factor that has been set to the point I'm afraid to even be exposed to marijuana smoke in case a drug test comes about and them finding traces of THC. You know I really want to smoke and I wont list my reasons for that because I'm sure we all have the same reasons and like I stated I'm afraid too because I have a lot right now on my plate that I can't afford to lose, I'm still taking care of my grandmother and I'm sure you remember me talking about her sometime last year if I'm not mistaking so I'm just trying to find loop holes around just about anything that is holding me back from whatever I like to do and want.

Well the way that the economy is in my state it's kinda hard to pursue any dreams or goals unless you have the connections and if anyone is to disagree with me well then you must have it easier then I do haha :thumbsup: It's just a very slow process and a lot of places are mostly hanging by a thread, quite sad I might say :(.

But anyways I was glad to see you post in here, it has been sometime since I last talked to you. I appreciate the advise and I completely understand where you're coming from. It's nice to hear from you again! Now I just need to hear back from the rest of the other old friends of mine! :)

By the way how have you been doing?

Hempsouth
01-23-2010, 03:39 PM
You never know when "Management" might do some random testing. If the workers compensation provider puts pressure on the company to do so, like if there were an abnormal amount of claims compared to competitors in the security business.

I have the same knee issue's you describe, since my teenage years. Been to all types of Doc's and no resolution except MMJ. I also have the burning sensations in my feet and knee's. I am subject to random testing and if injured at work its an automatic test if you receive medical attention other than a band aid. So I am always looking for a different work environment.