Pubdate: Mon, 16 Mar 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n144/a01.html

THE TROUBLE WITH EMPLOYEE POT SCREENING

Re: "Employers should stop testing for marijuana," March 8 Gina Tron column.

I hope Colorado employers are able to evaluate job performance based 
on employee productivity rather than the contents of bodily fluids. 
Drug tests are lifestyle tests designed to penalize marijuana 
consumers. Drug tests may compel marijuana consumers to switch to 
more dangerous drugs to avoid testing positive. This is why the 
American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing.

Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for 
days. More dangerous synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and 
prescription narcotics are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. 
If you think drug users don't know this, think again. Anyone capable 
of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test.

The most commonly abused drug and the one most closely associated 
with violent behavior is alcohol. Legal alcohol kills more people 
each year than all illegal drugs combined. Hangovers don't contribute 
to workplace safety and counterproductive drug tests do absolutely 
nothing to discourage the No. 1 drug problem: alcohol.

Robert Sharpe, Arlington, Va.

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom