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drug testing

Discussion in 'Yacht Crews' started by Daniel Crewe, Mar 1, 2015.

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  1. Daniel Crewe

    Daniel Crewe New Member

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    is it safe to say a majority of captains and owners perform regular drug tests on all crew members?
  2. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Interesting question for a eighteen year old deckie to ask?
    Pre employment drug testing? Yes. Get hurt or injured on board? Yes. Regular testing once employed? No. Not unless its a previously written and agreed upon policy. Come back to the boat with glassy eyes enough times to raise suspicions and Yes. The master can give you two choices, drug test or the dock.
  3. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    During an interview long ago (pre-req was a drug test to get this far), I was presented a form to sign.

    "Without notice, I would present my self for a drug test when demanded".

    When the meeting was completed, the interviewer thanked me for promptly signing the form and commented that half the people he had talk to, quibbled over this form. Their applications had already clogged the paper shredder a few times..

    I had no problem with that then or do now.
  4. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    LOL... guess we'll find out if he's still willin'
  5. captainwjm

    captainwjm Senior member

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    When I worked commercial, random drug tests were a Coast Guard requirement. Is that no longer so?
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    For Captains yes, I don't think unlicensed crew need to conform to a random drug test consortium. (not sure)
  7. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Like sheep American's have given up their 4 Amendment rights by making it "voluntary". Although marijuana is generally considered safer than even liquor, and is in fact legal in several states, it remains detectable for up to 30 days. You can be roaring drunk the night before and show clean the next day. You can snort coke or shoot heroin 3 days before and test clean. Take marijuana out of the testing, or figure out how to test to see if the person's used it within the same time frame as hard drugs or drink is measured for, and I doubt the paper shredder would get clogged at all. It's just "Reefer Madness". Why don't we take hair follicle test which can be tested for any substance going back to when that hair first sprouted? $$$$$$$$ Safety takes a back seat profits.

    Personally I don't care if someone smoked a joint a month ago. I'm a lot more concerned that someone on board may be hung over from the night before. which is perfectly legal.

    Pre-employment screening is nothing more than creating an industry. It's useless for making a work environment safer. If we really wanted safer, we'd start every shift with a mental/physical agility test.

    In 30 years of running boats I've taken one pre-employment drug test. Other than that I got tested once every 5 years, at my convenience, when I renewed my license. Anyone care to tell me how that made anybody safer?
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    NYCAP- it doesn't really make anybody safer. It does prevent drug addicts from being licensed, but that's about it. However in a commercial setting it does as they do test more frequently. But again, that varies by company.
  9. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    It does not prevent drug addicts from being licensed. It prevents recreational pot smokers from being employed, and makes money for the HMO's. That's about all. If we really wanted to keep addicts from being licensed or employed we'd test at the start of every shift for every narcotic. Ever get hurt? I'm betting that you were prescribed Oxy or Vicadin, and I'll bet you didn't quit working.

    Now that big business is seeing that there's serious profits to be made from pot I'm sure it'll one day be taken off the pre-employment drug screens. All it'll take is for Amazon, Google or Starbucks to get into the business. Suddenly it'll miraculously become safe.
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    No I have never ever taken oxy or vicoden or any other pain meds since I had my wisdom teeth taken out at 18 years old. I took one then and didn't like the way it made me feel and never took another.

    If someone is a drug addict, that uses drugs daily, they cannot pass the test to even get or renew their license.

    Taking a drug test at the start of every shift is incredibly expensive and impossible to administer, not to mention it usually takes 24 hours to get the results back.

    Pot effects people quite a bit. Most recreational pot smokers have no life coping skills when they're not stoned. Pot takes that all away. Short term memory loss and other factors. An illegal drug is illegal.

    I feel that our business is pretty safe when you consider the dangers involved, various conditions and people. The vast majority of accidents are from recreational boaters and not professional mariners. You only hear about accidents from professional mariners using poor judgement about once a year.....Schettino.....the ferry in Korea.....
  11. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    "No I have never ever taken oxy or vicoden or any other pain meds since I had my wisdom teeth taken out at 18 years old. I took one then and didn't like the way it made me feel and never took another."

    Really. I'm prescribed them it seems at least once a year for something. Like you though I take one, find it gets me stoned but doesn't really affect the pain, so I go to aspirin. Plus their addictivness scares the hell out of me.

    "If someone is a drug addict, that uses drugs daily, they cannot pass the test to even get or renew their license."

    Pure fiction. There are a ton of people walking around and performing their jobs on all sorts of things. Even a hardened addict can check himself into a hospital for 72 hours and detox.

    "Taking a drug test at the start of every shift is incredibly expensive and impossible to administer, not to mention it usually takes 24 hours to get the results back."

    So what's so important isn't important enough if it costs too much? You could have your employees play a video game at the start of each shift that would tell you if they're fit to work, and their reason for not being fit could be as simple as they just had a massive fight with their spouse. I want my employee's mind in the game. If they're a heroin addict they're completely able to function if they have they're heroin, but a guy whose wife or kids put him over the edge a short while ago isn't. Which is really more important when your life is on the line, he smoked a joint 2 weeks ago or his mind is in the game?

    "Pot effects people quite a bit. Most recreational pot smokers have no life coping skills when they're not stoned. Pot takes that all away. Short term memory loss and other factors."

    Complete fiction. I've seen people with every job from CEO to cop on the beat smoke pot (off duty)", and they've all done their jobs and handled their lives perfectly fine. In fact FAR better than most people who use alcohol.

    " An illegal drug is illegal." Those who accept tyranny endorse it. Remember the 14th Amendment? Like with the prohibition on marijuana, all it accomplished was to make criminals out of otherwise upstanding citizens, and make criminals rich.

    "I feel that our business is pretty safe when you consider the dangers involved, various conditions and people. The vast majority of accidents are from recreational boaters and not professional mariners. You only hear about accidents from professional mariners using poor judgement about once a year.....Schettino.....the ferry in Korea....."

    That's because we're professionals, and a professional wouldn't be stoned on anything while doing his job. However, I have seen many captains having a beer or a drink while on duty, because it's perfectly legal and accepted. NOT BY ME. I don't care what a person does at home, but on the job you don't so much as take a sip. I don't care what's "legal" or what's not. I want my people running at 100%, and because the law says it's ok means squat to me. You're good or you're not, and I don't need any law to tell me which you are. As far as I know both Shettino and the Korean captain were in complete compliance with the law. I'll separate them because I think the Korean captain made an error. Shettino shouldn't have had command of a vessel. He's morally bankrupt.
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    We may be forgetting the NYC ferry driver who ran away after creaming the slip. Yep, after he was found, he was up on Hydrocodone and others (or as so reported).

    For us, numbers would point that the MMDs are factually pretty clean,, I think I can say cleaner than train, hack or even air pilots per ratios.
    But ship happens. There is always an orange in the apple barrel to be found, Anywhere.
    One day, when property and lives are not on the line, I will hang up my MMD and move inland. Surender my drivers license and support my own personal pot farm. Er Ah around 90 years old,,,

    Till then, as most of us agree and follow; WE ARE clean professional flotsam drivers and nothing (drug related) can touch us.
  13. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    You'll probably make a lot more money.:cool: (but your food bill will go up)