yet another reason i'll never shop at Walmart

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by t-tom

If you work for me ( I own a small business) No drinking, smoking or prescription drugs while on the clock. Go price just Workman's comp insurance. If you come in under the influence of drugs or drinking no questions asked you go home and you don't come back. I work to hard to let some piece of trash drunk, druggie ruin my business.

Go back and read the article - he wasn't high at work. You guys are making straw man arguments.

To summarize:

2008 associate of the year (ie a great worker)

Sinus cancer and inoperable brain tumor

Prescribed medical marijuana to deal with pain

Not high at work, but tests positive (which you'd expect - it is detectable for days/weeks after use)

Fired for testing positive *and* Walmart tried to make him ineligible for benefits.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Not sure exactly what you are suggesting, but it appears that you THINK the Christian thing to do would be to allow a drug user to endanger the company or it's employees.

Didn't Jesus embrace the lepers?

Lepers at Walmart...................lets go shopping.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by island911

What a load of crap.

Did you know that for anti-freez poisoning, (think Rover the dog) that the treatment is to get them drunk? --regular alcohol competes in the liver with.. nevermind

Anyway, if a treatment knock a person on their butt, why should they be working? ...because it weed, and that's ahhh . . .huh. . .aahhhh...

btw, my dad tried the medicinal marijuana when he was dying of cancer -- it did nothing but make him feel worse.

Glad your single data point invalidates other research (sorry about your dad though - cancer sucks).

Your other points are more asinine straw man arguments - he wasn't high at work.

Have to agree with Snipe here. Then again, I should know better.

[island911]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Seriously.

It's unbelievable.

I'd rather work side by side with a guy on pot than a habitual drinker or someone on prescription pain narcotics.

Pot is completely harmless.

For some people pot may be relatively harmless. But there are high-functioning alcoholics too.

Drugs act differently on different people.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by island911

Did you know that for anti-freez poisoning, (think Rover the dog) that the treatment is to get them drunk? --regular alcohol competes in the liver with.. nevermind
.

yeah, good to stop. I probably wouldn't understand competitive ADH inhibition...

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Not sure exactly what you are suggesting, but it appears that you THINK the Christian thing to do would be to allow a drug user to endanger the company or it's employees.

Are you insane? How is a guy that smokes pot for a BRAIN TUMOR a danger to anyone at WAL MART?

The dude aint a pilot, cop or fireman. He works at wal mart. He was their employee of the year- the most responsible and reliable worker they had. You guys are crazy.

Todd, i'm all in on this one with you.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by island911

For some people pot may be relatively harmless. But there are high-functioning alcoholics too.

Drugs act differently on different people.

Pot is completely harmless with the possible exception of getting smoking related illnesses (and there are ways around that too, there are smokeless devices on the market that work quite well).

Pot has no serious ill effects whatsoever.

[island911]

Originally Posted by nostatic

yeah, good to stop. I probably wouldn't understand competitive ADH inhibition...

That wasn't the point.

Again, if a treatment knock a person on their butt, why should they be at work? For that matter, if a sickness knocks a person on their butt, why should they be at work?

Chemo is freaking poison. What else was this guy on?

Why should any business be forced to keep sick people at work?

[equality72521]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Would you say the same thing about prescription pain killers or muscle relaxants? How many people in this country go to work taking those?

If those carried the same stigma as pot, yes. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with Walmart. I'm saying from a corporate standpoint the risk is too great if someone using medical pot accidentally harmed/killed himself or others regardless of whether the pot had any influence. And many people who smoke pot "say" they are never under the influence at work. A good lawyer will eat that up. As a publicly traded corporation they are responsible to their shareholders to avoid financial losses due to lawsuits. If they suspect they are at risk they will eliminate the risk.... just like every other corporation. Don't forget that companies are in business to make money...period! Their employees are their to make them money...period! They don't do this as a public service. Treating employees well helps make the company more money than if they are unhappy but employees are still simply tools to make money. When an employee becomes a liability rather than an asset the liability is eliminated. Welcome to corporate America. I say again, I neither agree nor disagree (or you could say I both agree and disagree), I just see it from a corporate standpoint as well as a personal one.

[island911]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Are you insane? How is a guy that smokes pot for a BRAIN TUMOR a danger to anyone at WAL MART?

The dude aint a pilot, cop or fireman. He works at wal mart. He was their employee of the year- the most responsible and reliable worker they had. You guys are crazy.

Todd, i'm all in on this one with you.

So... WalMart should have it's own Lady Liberty, holding a plaque that reads: Send us your Stoned, your drunk, your disfigured, your brain-damaged... ?

Sheesh, it's a Business, not a govt sponsored daycare for the deluded.

...and a business with Mobil 1 in gallon containers.

[jpachard]

I always find it interesting how a certain segment of the population comes to defend Walmart who, by the way, are the largest importer of Chinese goods in this country.

This same population is usually waving the "Buy American" banner too. Ironic.

Walmart, do the right thing and help this guy out, who knows how much longer he is going to live.

[island911]

Snipe, you're letting your knee-jerk drug position cloud your judgment here . . and you're siding with the notion that businesses must be daycare for the weak.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by island911

That wasn't the point.

Again, if a treatment knock a person on their butt, why should they be at work? For that matter, if a sickness knocks a person on their butt, why should they be at work?

Chemo is freaking poison. What else was this guy on?

Why should any business be forced to keep sick people at work?

If a person can perform their duties and does no endanger others, then being sick isn't an issue. It didn't say he was on chemo - it mentioned it was prescribed for pain. But marijuana is often very effective as an antiemetic, hence my comment in that regard.

It doesn't sound like anything knocked this guy off his butt. He twisted his knee at work - that happens to most everyone (and probably more often to obese people). As far as the story mentions, there was no issue with his work. Instead he tested positive and they dumped him, then tried to cancel benefits.

Sounds to me that this is more like Walmart wanting to drop someone with a terminal illness so that he doesn't cost them a lot of money in health benefits. The pot is a convenient excuse. If they're really worried about performance, they should probably test for any number of "legal" drugs that are prescribed for pain, and then fire people if they test positive for that as well. And maybe test for anti-depressants. Wouldn't want someone killing themselves in the store. Bad for business. And since obese people cost more to insure, we should test for that as well...

[Hard-Deck]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

No, just fire all the people who smoke pot or put them on permanent disability. And there is quite a bit of thought behind that statement.

If someone drinks alcohol on the job they will fail a Breathalyzer test. If they drink on their own time and are sober when they show up, they pass a breathalyzer test.
If someone smokes pot OFF the job, it will show up in their system. If someone smokes pot on the job, it will show up in their system.
So how do you differentiate between them getting high on their time or the company's time? You don't.

WTF does tobacco have to do with this subject? Does it impare thought, coordination and ability? No, it doesn't. Doesn't belong in this discussion.

If someone is taking (real) prescription medication it is their responsibility to report it to the company and the company makes the determination if they are fit for duty or if the medication would interfere with their ability to perform the job safely and up to a reasonable level of performance and quality.
Someone who has been smoking pot would have to be considered unfit for duty unless the job description is to sit on their arse, drool, giggle and eat munchies.

You weren't actually suggesting it would be OK for them to be high on the job, were you?

'Nuff said.

[Hard-Deck]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Pot is completely harmless with the possible exception of getting smoking related illnesses (and there are ways around that too, there are smokeless devices on the market that work quite well).

Pot has no serious ill effects whatsoever.

Glad you're not sniping on one of my teams....

[equality72521]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Are you insane? How is a guy that smokes pot for a BRAIN TUMOR a danger to anyone at WAL MART?

The dude aint a pilot, cop or fireman. He works at wal mart. He was their employee of the year- the most responsible and reliable worker they had. You guys are crazy.

Todd, i'm all in on this one with you.

Apparently you've never been in the back of a grocery store. There are hydraulic balers, straddle stackers, power jacks, hydraulic man lifts,...... all dangerous if impaired. A lady at one of our stores is in a coma and is predicted to die due to dropping a skid of soda on herself when the load became unstable on the stacker. She wasn't thinking and tried to stop it from falling instead of getting the hell out of the way. What if it is discovered she was high, regardless of whether it was prescribed. We would be paying out a huge settlement, that's what.

[tabs]

Let me put it to U Boyz this way if you have Cancer or Glaucoma...and POT will help with the pain or relieve the symptoms...YOU CAN BET YOUR AZZ YOU WILL TAKE THE STUFF.

Basically what the guy does at home is his business...Walmart does not own you 24/7. If the guy showed up at work loaded or was using at work that is a different story. A safety issue comes into play if the guy is using heavy equipment and is under the influence at work. However if the guy is sweeping the floor or is a Greeter etc...its not likely he is going to hurt anyone.

However if the guy was taking a legaly prescribed pain killer while at work would Wallmart have fired him? I DON"T THINK SO...

How bout a High Blood Pressure med or anti Cholesterhol med...Or if the guy was a boozer..or hewavily addicted to tobbacco...Nicotine highs dude...or caffine..

OR HOW BOUT AN ANTIDEPRESSANT...now some of U BOyz out there would be in deep shhyte if your employer could fire you for being on one of those...

So don't get all sanctiomonius in my face...

[island911]

Originally Posted by nostatic

If a person can perform their duties and does no endanger others,

....

..... Instead he tested positive and they dumped him, then tried to cancel benefits.

..., and then fire people if they test positive for that as well. And maybe test for anti-depressants. Wouldn't want someone killing themselves in the store. Bad for business. And since obese people cost more to insure, we should test for that as well...

I agree that the testing is ridiculous. --on principle, I will never take a job where they do testing like that.

But, just as I have a right to dismiss employers, I also believe that a business has every right to fire anyone, for any reason. If they're not allowed that right we end up like France (or worse). --massive unemployment.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by equality72521

Apparently you've never been in the back of a grocery store. There are hydraulic balers, straddle stackers, power jacks, hydraulic man lifts,...... all dangerous if impaired. A lady at one of our stores is in a coma and is predicted to die due to dropping a skid of soda on herself when the load became unstable on the stacker. She wasn't thinking and tried to stop it from falling instead of getting the hell out of the way. What if it is discovered she was high, regardless of whether it was prescribed. We would be paying out a huge settlement, that's what.

I knew guys that were professional drinkers and would show up on Grave Yard after having consumed the better part of a 1.75L of Bourbon in the afternoon...these guys were running HEAVY EQUIPMENT..

There were also alot of guys who had liquid or smoke lunches...as well...

If you cleaned out everybody who was substance abusing IN the American work place...you probably could kiss about 25% of the workforce goodbye..

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Pot has no serious ill effects whatsoever.

Old fashion traditional pot maybe, but the newer stuff is reportedly sending some people into wacko land with no ride home.

The Downside of High, Facts About Marijuana Use : The Nature of Things with David Suzuki : CBC-TV

Another, little-known ingredient in marijuana could actually reduce pot's psychotic tendencies. In the 1960s, marijuana not only had less THC but more of a chemical known to actually buffer psychotic effects. That ingredient, cannabidiol (or CBD), has been effectively bred out of today's high-octane pot. In creating strains of marijuana with higher THC levels, pot growers have engineered a drug that delivers a double whammy - more psychotic-producing THC and less protective CBD.

Cannabidiol was first discovered in the 1930s, but it wasn't until the 1970s that studies showed it could reduce convulsions in rats. Recent research suggests that cannabidiol could eventually be used to treat schizophrenia. So the "pot paradox" is that the plant contains both a substance that can trigger psychosis, and another substance that could treat it.

The Downside of High : The Nature of Things with David Suzuki : CBC-TV

Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic.