A Letter i wrote to the head of my company about Random drug testing

[dejayou30]

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?

dejayou30 Reviewed by dejayou30 on 12-23-2006. A Letter i wrote to the head of my company about Random drug testing 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: what do you guys think? Rating: 5

[wayoftheleaf]

Very good very good, well rounded and just excellent letter.

[Smokin EnDo]

Actually you get all sorts of funding from the government to drug test so it will be cheaper.

[funky not a junky]

I must say that it was a very good letter, however i dont believe that the company will comform to your ideas. Most people in this world just are too steadfast in their opinions to do what someone else says. BUt who knows, that was a great letter. Good luck and happy toking

[dejayou30]

yeah, i don't think it will do much in the grand scheme of things, but hopefully it will at least get some people thinking. as for the happy toking, i wish, but since this new policy has been put in place, i've had to quit to prepare for it.

[birdgirl73]

It's a very good, very strong letter, Dejayou. I'm a former professional writer, and I know good communications when I see them. This definitely qualifies. I'm glad you're writing it because you're making all the important points the head of your company needs to hear. You realize, of course, that he may not choose to hear what you're saying or believe you, but at least you will have said it.

A couple of suggestions. Can you shorten/tighten it at all? I say that because "less is more" in persuasive writing, generally. Also, executives and company chieftains tend to be busy types who don't have a lot of time for reading. You'll be more likely to hit your mark if you're as succinct as possible.

Also, if you want to be real persuasive, you might include, oh, three or four key links about cannabis benefits and the fact that cannabis is more benign than other drugs. You'll have to look for these, but I know they exist. Ideally, those links should come from a marijuana-neutral source like a news site or a mainstream medical institution rather than a pro-cannabis site, which would be automatically assumed to be biased in favor of weed.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3375 (A NORML link about personal use, which includes further links to good info. Scroll down and read the links under Facts.)
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis.shtml (Erowid link to cannabis info. This is a potentially tricky one. Erowid's very good about including both positive and negative info, but if you're trying to persuade someone, that negative info can stand out and work against you. See what you think.)

Several folks have recently posted some good video links here, too, and you might be able to use one of those as well. They were links that told the story of cananbis and explained the history behind its illegality. Those might be persuasive, too.

Good job! And good luck!

[kindprincess]

don't be surprised if they start popping a hundred people a day...

kp

[AlwaysBlazed]

Go for it. I thought it was a very well written letter but then again I can't take the perspective of your employer. There's a chance that your boss may be one of those grown up in a household totally opposed to drugs, the type that won't even listen. It's 100% worth a try but I wouldn't mention that you use it. It is implied when you're writing but you don't want your employer to just disregard you as a stoner. No offense to anybody here but stoners don't get that much respect when it comes to important formal things.

[dejayou30]

yeah, thats why i am sending it from an anonymous email address and don't reveal my name. i really don't expect it to change anything, i am just more interested in the response.

[BlueCat]

Great letter dejayou....very well written. I like this line...

ineffective in weeding out true "drug users" working for the company,

No pun intended?

I hope you will post the response