Originally posted by: Eli
Sadly, even many near-minimum wage retail jobs test.
Sorry, but it's none of my employers business what I do on my own time. Period.
As long as I come to work, do my job and do it well, what I do on my own time should not matter.
How can it be any other way? It's such a blatant violation of privacy... how did it even become acceptable?
:disgust:
Youa re indeed correct most of the drug screening is directed at the lowest paying jobs.........does anyone know of ANY drug screening for surgeons or any other physicians? Nope, there isn't any, and this is a segment of the working population with one of the highest alcohol abuse/drug abuse problems out there. But since the AMA is such a powerful lobby, there isn't any mandatory drug screening or anything.
You know it's sad that MD's are left out of this when an anesthesiologist is found passed out in a bathroom after intraveniously injecting Innovar, a quite powerful anesthetic agent......gets you high as a kite if done in the proper dosages. Said MD was, admittedly, quietly asked to leave this specialty. But he was allowed to move to another area of medicine and no public note was ever made. Was an "internal" thing.
The AMA actually does keep records of doctors that get caught abusing drugs, alcohol, and even malpractice convictions. But forget ever accessing those records......."It'spersonal and confidential information" is all you ever get from them. Personally, I'd like to know if MY surgeon, the person who'll be slicing and dicing inside you, has a history of sloppy practice or drug problems.
Lawyers are another group that will never be subjected to this intrusion. But you entrust him/her to be sharp and on his/her game when defending/prosecuting in court. Who knows if that lawyer, that you're paying incredible amounts of money to, is stoned during the case.
Money, power, influence all will tend to shield and insulate those that should be held to the highest standards........and the lowest rung of the job market have none of that. This is one reason why the entry-level jobs always screen and the ones, most anyway, who have the jobs that have the most impact over other's wellbeing are fairly exempt. airline pilots are not routinely screened, only when someone "smells" something on their breath or some such nonsense.
As far as where did this employment drug testing come from? Thank the Republicans.....started in the early 80's when Reagan instituted screening for Federal employees that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1986. It's since spread to private employers who the Supreme Court has since said are not held to much of any standard for privacy invasion issues.