Time to ask Why?

I just took the first test I have ever had to take. It was the most degrading and violating experience I have ever had to endure.

I recently accepted a job that is a really great job, and is, as is seemly becoming the norm for any good job, contingent upon passing a background and drug screen.
Now I will elaborate later in this post what I did to meet that requirement, but I do think that this is really time that a philosophical discussion that needs to be looked at in a "How did we allow this to become acceptable?" discussion. I am a great guy, a great employee, and a true exemplary father and societal member. Not one speeding ticket, I mow my yard, and I take care of what I need to do. I am the kind of guy that just about anyone who knows me would say "Yeah, he is a great guy."

The day I found out that I had to take a test, I had already quit for a few days. Being the scientist that I am, I took a kind of a clinical approach to this reality. I began marking the "days clean" on a calendar, and purchased a total of 6 home tests. Historically, I am tall (6'3", 210 lbs, and while not 'fat" and I do some moderate exercise, I am not super-fit and trim) and had been a daily smoker for many years. (unless I had run out (grin)) Herb is my one vice, I rarely drink, and I do literally no other drugs, not even cigarettes or well anything, other than weed.

I knew that I would take anywhere up to at least 30 days based upon hours of reading forum posts and research. Thus began my missive to detail my reality in passing this test. I knew better than to even try to test in less than 2-3 weeks, so I took my first test 24 days in. Failed. 28 days, failed, 30 days, failed. I began to sweat the test, as the HR department was inquiring as to when I would go in for the test, that I was presented with (a LabCorp "invitation" which expired approximately 30 days from the date I received it.) So I found several good-enough excuses (like actually working on my job roles etc.) to put it off as long as I could but eventually I decided that I had no choice but to take the test. (While I have read extensive numbers of posts and experiences of being clean after just a couple of weeks or so, I found that this was indeed NOT the case for me anyway.) I did not want to substitute, as I wanted to truly pass the test. I had, after all, abstained; I had done what would be expected of me... to be clean.

I took the test on my 36th. day "clean." Up until the day I took the test, I had been failing the home-tests I was taking with first-voids, and pretty sure that I would fail the test at LabCorp if I did not try to at least dilute a reasonable amount. I did not do as many of the posters here elaborate to by drinking "two gallons" etc., but I did drink 2-3 large 16 ounce glasses of water the two-hours before I went in. I was able to pass a home test after diluting that moderate amount 1 hour before I went in for the test, so I am hopeful that I am going to "not hear anything" from LabCorp, and I have continued my abstinence and will until I feel confident that I will not hear from them. (I took the test on Thursday Jul. 21)

Taking "The Test":
Well, I was kind of surprised at the test facility itself. It was kind of grungy, and there were numerous guys smoking cigarettes out in front as they waited to take their tests. I was also surprised that nearly everyone there for their tests were somewhat sketchy themselves... some obvious parolees, and well, the kind of people you see doing meth and crack etc. Prison tattoos, grungy cutoffs, and well, the kind of guy you'd expect to have to take a drug test to stay out of jail. The job I am in consideration of is a suit-and-tie type job, and I would normally never be classified in the category of the people I saw at my test facility. While I am familiar with lots of people like this, I had never considered myself to be in the same pool of consideration as these fellow donors.

I signed the "sign-in" sheet, and within minutes I was escorted into the lab proper (I am not sure why the others were still waiting other than for their parole officer or the like). It was a well-worn "lab" room, with a toilet (blue water in the toilet) and it was kind of shockingly stuffy, grungy and kind of like I envision would be if I were to go to jail testing. The lab-tech guy was really nice, and followed all of the procedures: "Empty your pockets here on this table, wash your hands, and pick out your own specimen jar, set it on the table here... fill to line, at least, more is fine" and he left me to my own, closing the door behind me. I know I could have substituted here, but I wanted to pass legitimately. I did the deed (marginally light in color, but it is a heat wave after all, and I have a good excuse to be well hydrated), and emerged from the "bathroom" where the lab tech was ready and waiting to immediately have me seal the jar, and he put a sticker over the top, and had me initial the chain-of-custody documents. We chatted briefly as I mentioned how complex the procedures were and he said "you would be surprised at how many people try to say that I adulterated their sample with my dirty hands etc. that is why we have you do all of that." I remarked at their adherence to protocol and joked with him that I trusted he would not do that. He then joked back "you would be shocked at what people tell me man... 'I get it weekly "dude I really need this job, is there anything you can do for me?"' and he joked "Dude, if you can't quit weed for 30 days to get a job..." So I decided to try to glean a bit of info about that, as my personal experience was that I was indeed failing even after more than 30 days of abstinence. I said to him "Well I have to be honest, I did indeed used to partake, but that I had quit almost 40 days prior, I quit to get a job as I made the decision that the job was far more important." He said "You should be fine man." (But again, I had failed a home test the day prior without diluting, but did not tell him that.)

I still wait to hear back, I take it as a good sign that I had not gotten a call from LabCorp regarding my sample being somewhat diluted on the following day (Friday) and I am hopeful that I do not hear anything on Monday or Tuesday either as relates to that, but I continue my abstinence, until I am sure I am good to go. This job is important to me, and I refuse to let my recreation time prevent me from getting this really great job. But there lies my philosophical issue with this.

I am a truly upstanding, voting member of society: a great dad, husband, employee, and citizen. The fact that we have gotten to the point where we just accept the fact that someone can scrutinize my bodily fluids in case I might do something that is seen as illicit in my off-time, screams "wrong" to me in so many ways, and I cannot help but to think that it is indeed fundamentally wrong. Why is this OK? I mean I am being classified in the same genre as Meth-heads, Crack-heads, junkies, drunks, and pill-poppers; merely because I like to kick back with a bowl at the end of the day. How is this NOT an invasive and an egregious violation of the 4rth. Amendment "Right of search and seizure regulated." If I were a meth-head, a crack-head, a junkie, or a drunk, I could test clean in mere days, but because I choose to partake in the most innocent of illicit substances, I have to give someone the ability to see what I may have been up to for what is now almost 2 months? In my off-time? Why are we not rioting in the streets about this?

The experience I had to submit to was degrading, and the mere "Assumption" that I am a criminal (Rather than testing me after suspicion of using something) is offensive to me. Where is the probably cause? Where are people complaining that the 50ng/ml cutoff is ridiculously over-intrusive and invasive? The longer we roll-over and let this happen the longer we can expect it to continue. I for one have lost a lot of faith and credit in the way the laws and rules of this country are run, and I truly wish that we could re-take a sanity approach to this intrusive search like other countries like Canada have. (Yeah Canadians are real dangerous criminals because they do not allow pre-employment drug testing etc.)

I am sad of the state that my government has become, and I really fell badly that we are all assumed to be criminals unless proven otherwise. It is wrong, and only we can change it, but I do not see it ever happening.

I will never understand this.

I will let you guys know the status of my test, but to be honest, I have played by the rules, and abstained/basically quit anything as the rules dictate. The moral of this story, is that if you need a legal buzz, you can poison your liver and kill brain cells with alcohol (and the social/aggression issues that come with it) but don't even think about the evil weed. I hate alcohol, but have found myself wanting to do SOMETHING, so have been eyeing up bourbon etc. and that is just plain wrong. My rant is over.

welcome to the club

Drug testing first began at the federal level, then made it's way to the private sector via the "War on Drugs" which is really a war on cannabis.... Our gov is filled with a bunch of people who are willing to accept a paycheck while looking the other way.... It really is sad.... Patriotic congressman hardly exist....they're too rich and busy being above the people to put themselves in the same category, so they don't think about the general population as equal, which is why we deal with the idiotic laws that we do....because we aren't smart enough to know what's good enough for us, we need to be told....

CGI::::::

I know the history (Particularly the Reagan missive following a fighter-jet crash, finding rampant drug-use in the Navy, and subsequent "War on Drugs") I am particularly most interested in mentioning that it is wrong, and needs to be looked at in an objective manner of "Why do we even allow it after that has proven to be too intrusive?"

Well, I am thinking I passed, as I got confirmation that my insurance etc. was in order by the HR people today, and it has been 5 days, (albeit 2 weekend days) since my test. I was under the impression that if they had found my sample to be too dilute, I would have heard... or that if my sample tested positive, I would have heard by now. I did see on my Chain of Custody form that "Specimen Bottle(s) Released to: FedEx" which implies to me they did NO testing on my sample at the collection site. (which would of course add one business day, implying that the true testing lab would not get my sample until Friday.) Today being Monday, I would think that a positive would have been flagged by a dip test at this point, and I would have been notified by now.

It could however mean that I failed the initial dip test, and my sample has been sent to Gas Chromatography testing. (I thought I would hear from the MRO if that had been the case, but I am not willing to risk it so I continue my abstinence.)

I am nervous, and would like to have some peace of mind about all of this, as I did everything I was supposed to do.. I quit. That is not to say I am eyeing up that little nugget of kind bud that I have stashed for my day of confirmation, and thought several times "I would SURELY have heard by now!", but I am not going to risk this for the simple pleasure of a relaxing evening.

I will let the board know my final result, but if I do not hear anything in 1 week's time from my test, I'm considering myself golden.

I will say however, that all of you folks who insist that you will be fine after 30 days may not be taking into account all the variables like metabolism etc. as I was indeed testing positive after 40+ days of abstinence on a home dip test, and if I had not well-hydrated I surely would have failed my labcorp test (Maybe I still did, I cannot yet confirm.) I did take a home test right before I went in and tested neg while hydrated, but I failed two days later with normal hydration on a home test. FYI.