Dear Editor:

RE: Safety trumps privacy (Feb. 1, 2010 editorial)

"Sure marijuana is not even in the ballpark with crack cocaine, but it does fall under the illegal category making it difficult to justify its use."

I can think of about a dozen reasons to justify using cannabis. It has dozens of medical applications, and even when smoked, its benefits outweigh any dangers.

Also, chronic daily users don't suffer anywhere near the impairment that a casual user would. By that I mean, there are people smoking 10 joints a day and you would never know it to look at them, while other people are visibly impaired by just a few tokes.

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There's nothing black and white about whether mandatory drug testing should or should not be practiced in any workplace.

When any drug significantly alters a person's physical and/or mental state, many would argue a user poses safety risks in many work environments. Every employer has a strict responsibility to eliminate any and all risks to safety.

Not many would be shocked to learn a manager sent home an employee who showed up for work reeking of alcohol-whether it's stale or fresh. It's pretty well an acceptable assumption the individual is under the influence of the drug (alcohol) and poses a risk to him/herself and to coworkers as well.

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I would like to take this opportunity to say hello to everyone and to introduce myself. I am the new drugs and organized crime awareness coordinator for Labrador.

I come to this new position after serving 16 years in front-line policing. I have worked in many areas of the province including three communities along the Labrador coast.

Having lived and worked in many different parts of the province I have come to realize that while every community is unique in its own way, every community also has its similarities.

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Neither IOC nor the Steelworkers' Union are backing down when it comes to a new drug-testing policy announced in early December.

A spokesman for IOC says it's a vital step in the company's continuing safety efforts.

The president of the union says it's an unnecessary policy, and could further deteriorate an already-strained relationship between workers and management.

"We don't condone alcohol and drugs in the workplace, but we want to confirm that everything is done in a respectful manner, and right now things aren't done in that way," said George Kean, president of United Steelworkers Local 5795.

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RCMP Presentation Focuses On Drug Abuse

Information presented at Lewisporte Intermediate on Dec. 3 by Lewisporte RCMP and guest presenters shocked many parents who attended.

Corporal Ann Noel of Drug and Organized Crime Services spoke to those in attendance on various drugs in the community and expressed concerns relating to teenagers abusing over the counter and prescription medications.

"The teens are gaining access to over the counter pills in stores, homes and at school," she said. "Normally, when we think about drugs we think about Johnny on the street corner selling a bag of marijuana or a bunch of pills, but unfortunately the whole thing is changing. It's our little Sarah or Johnny at home who are jumping into the medicine cabinet."

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