dejayou30
12-23-2006, 02:12 AM
Recently, my job decided to start randomly drug testing employees. I am sending this anonymously to the head of the company. I would like to hear people's thoughts and to see if it sounds alright. I put stars in place of my company's name, for security's sake:
Dear Mr. *****,
I am writing you anonymously from this email address to discuss the recent changes to your drug and alcohol policy at ***. I prefer to keep my identity a secret for fear of being accused of being a "drug user." I have been an employee with *** for almost 4 years, and I feel that the recent changes to the policy are unnecessary and will be relatively ineffective in weeding out true "drug users" working for the company, not to mention cost the company much more money in the long run.
I feel that the recent addition of post accident drug testing is a very good decision, both for the company and the individuals. However, I think the random drug testing policy is over-kill. In my years of working for ***, I have not suspected any of the employees I have worked with of being a drug user. I have always kept the old policy in mind and would not think twice about reporting someone under the influence of any drug to my supervisor. Since I have not worked with anyone that I would say was under the influence of drugs, I would assume most employees are not using drugs, and therefore requiring them to take random drug tests is a waste of both their time and yours, and also your money. Random drug testing is really only effective in detecting marijuana users, as almost all other drugs are only testable for up to 3 days, some extremely dangerous drugs such as methanphetamines less than 24 hours. Marijuana is a drug that a lot of misinformation has been spread about. The truth of the matter is, marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.
I do not know you personally and have no idea where you stand on the issue of decriminalizing/legalizing marijuana, but I can let you in on my background with the issue. I consider myself an intelligent person and I have researched this topic extremely thoroughly. I have read several medical studies, government documents, and put a lot of my own personal time into learning more about this subject, and all the reading I have done comes back to the same outcome: marijuana is harmless and the information that has been presented to the public is mostly false.
I have also been an occasional marijuana user for many years, and it has not affected the quality of my life or my job performance in any way. It is simply a way to relax and relieve stress after a hard day's work, similar to how some people enjoy having a beer on their day off, only without the damage to my liver and brain cells. There is also no addiction or withdrawal symptoms as with alcohol and other drugs. Although marijuana is illegal in 39 states, myself among many others in the nation wish to inform the general public about this harmless plant and are working to legalize, regulate, and educate the public. I would also like to note that I have never tried any other drug except for alcohol, and that the gateway theory of marijuana has been disproved time and time again. I also have NEVER been under the influence of ANY drug while working for or representing ***. I am a responsible adult, like most of your employees.
I understand that you do not want drug users working with the individuals here at *** and I whole heartedly agree. That may sound contradictory, as I am probably now a "drug user" in your eyes, but I do not consider marijuana a drug. It is a plant that grows from the Earth that was put here by God. I am not asking *** to advocate or allow anything, I am just asking *** to remain my employer without overstepping the boundary and becoming like a parent that oversees what I do in my free time. It is my opinion that this issue should be seriously reevaluated and would suggest either doing away with random drug testing or removing marijuana from the list of the drugs tested for, which would in turn make the test cheaper. I would like to think that I am not the only one who occasionally enjoys a marijuana cigarette on my day off, and is responsible about using the plant.
To put it bluntly, drug testing is an invasion of your employees' privacy and a way for *** to say what an employee can and can't do on their time off. As much as I love working for *** and love my job, I would prefer that *** didn't delegate what I choose to do, as an adult, in my free time when I am not working. Random drug testing allows that, and I feel it is a violation of my personal rights and freedoms. I believe that old policy and the addition of post accident testing is sufficient enough to help crack down on substance abuse in the workplace. I believe that if drugs are truly causing a problem with someone's life, their appearance and quality of work will show that fact. Random drug testing is not necessary. Thank you for your time and I would appreciate a reply if you find the time. Happy holidays.
Sincerely,
Employee
what do you guys think?
Dear Mr. *****,
I am writing you anonymously from this email address to discuss the recent changes to your drug and alcohol policy at ***. I prefer to keep my identity a secret for fear of being accused of being a "drug user." I have been an employee with *** for almost 4 years, and I feel that the recent changes to the policy are unnecessary and will be relatively ineffective in weeding out true "drug users" working for the company, not to mention cost the company much more money in the long run.
I feel that the recent addition of post accident drug testing is a very good decision, both for the company and the individuals. However, I think the random drug testing policy is over-kill. In my years of working for ***, I have not suspected any of the employees I have worked with of being a drug user. I have always kept the old policy in mind and would not think twice about reporting someone under the influence of any drug to my supervisor. Since I have not worked with anyone that I would say was under the influence of drugs, I would assume most employees are not using drugs, and therefore requiring them to take random drug tests is a waste of both their time and yours, and also your money. Random drug testing is really only effective in detecting marijuana users, as almost all other drugs are only testable for up to 3 days, some extremely dangerous drugs such as methanphetamines less than 24 hours. Marijuana is a drug that a lot of misinformation has been spread about. The truth of the matter is, marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.
I do not know you personally and have no idea where you stand on the issue of decriminalizing/legalizing marijuana, but I can let you in on my background with the issue. I consider myself an intelligent person and I have researched this topic extremely thoroughly. I have read several medical studies, government documents, and put a lot of my own personal time into learning more about this subject, and all the reading I have done comes back to the same outcome: marijuana is harmless and the information that has been presented to the public is mostly false.
I have also been an occasional marijuana user for many years, and it has not affected the quality of my life or my job performance in any way. It is simply a way to relax and relieve stress after a hard day's work, similar to how some people enjoy having a beer on their day off, only without the damage to my liver and brain cells. There is also no addiction or withdrawal symptoms as with alcohol and other drugs. Although marijuana is illegal in 39 states, myself among many others in the nation wish to inform the general public about this harmless plant and are working to legalize, regulate, and educate the public. I would also like to note that I have never tried any other drug except for alcohol, and that the gateway theory of marijuana has been disproved time and time again. I also have NEVER been under the influence of ANY drug while working for or representing ***. I am a responsible adult, like most of your employees.
I understand that you do not want drug users working with the individuals here at *** and I whole heartedly agree. That may sound contradictory, as I am probably now a "drug user" in your eyes, but I do not consider marijuana a drug. It is a plant that grows from the Earth that was put here by God. I am not asking *** to advocate or allow anything, I am just asking *** to remain my employer without overstepping the boundary and becoming like a parent that oversees what I do in my free time. It is my opinion that this issue should be seriously reevaluated and would suggest either doing away with random drug testing or removing marijuana from the list of the drugs tested for, which would in turn make the test cheaper. I would like to think that I am not the only one who occasionally enjoys a marijuana cigarette on my day off, and is responsible about using the plant.
To put it bluntly, drug testing is an invasion of your employees' privacy and a way for *** to say what an employee can and can't do on their time off. As much as I love working for *** and love my job, I would prefer that *** didn't delegate what I choose to do, as an adult, in my free time when I am not working. Random drug testing allows that, and I feel it is a violation of my personal rights and freedoms. I believe that old policy and the addition of post accident testing is sufficient enough to help crack down on substance abuse in the workplace. I believe that if drugs are truly causing a problem with someone's life, their appearance and quality of work will show that fact. Random drug testing is not necessary. Thank you for your time and I would appreciate a reply if you find the time. Happy holidays.
Sincerely,
Employee
what do you guys think?