Posted on 01/03/2014 11:29:03 AM PST by thackney
Recreational Marijuana: Cause and effect in the Oilfield? The forthcoming battle for employers!
Although I was a bit hesitant to write this, recent events in the State Of Colorado has more or less made this a national topic and of course it will be a very debated subject in the oilfield.
First and foremost, I wish to make it clear that I personally do not condone or support the use of any motion or mind altering drug, whether legal or not, for use on any oilfield operation. Our industry is dangerous enough without adding any other factor into daily operations where a clear head and fast reactions to any situation are an absolute must. The lives of too many people are at risk where quick and concise actions by any and all are must for survival in many operational situations. With that being said, it is the context of this scenario by which we will discuss off the job usage and only that.
The current scenario is such that the Federal Government has more or less, washed it's hands of the whole marijuana usage issue and placed it firmly upon the shoulders of the State Governments. As all of us have seen, Colorado has opened its doors to both medical and recreational usage as of Jan 01, 2014. A lot of people have seen this coming, the pros and cons have vigorously been debated from both sides of the fence. None of the debates on board any rig that I was on ever proposed the usage on board the vessel in any shape, form or fashion. We are a sort of hard core bunch but even we know better than to allow that sort of activity way out there in the middle of nowhere where our lives depend on quick and immediate responses to danger. None of us want crane operators, subsea engineers, drillers, etc., stoned out of their mind running equipment and making snap decisions which could cost us all dearly. Self preservation for offshore hands is game rule number 1 at all times.
Now here is where it's going to get interesting for Operators, Contractors, Legal Departments and even HR and Recruiters. I see more and more states that will follow Colorado's example, even outside California, real soon. The monetary gains for states is too vast to ignore, sales taxes will soar, permits, licensing, etc., will be a new and steady source of income to the state coffers. Let's not forget that as soon as it becomes legal, each and every person now serving time in State Correctional facilities can be released thus saving the budget nearly $65,000 per inmate per year. The court systems can now flush every pending marijuana case on the books and relieve themselves of that load and expense as well. Local and state police and even the DEA will no longer be inclined to deal with this as it will surely fall under the BATF to regulate sales and growth. DUI of course will still be available to local and state enforcement agencies with new testing procedures and so forth.
Now where it's going to get sticky for employers, is those pre-employment drug screens and random tests on board and perhaps at the heliports. For the moment, it is my understanding that the states will more or less give employers the right to maintain their policies on the use of marijuana. As we all know from past experience, this will last only as long as the first major civil liberties lawsuit is taken to court. The dilemma being, if you live in a state where marijuana is legal for recreational use and as a citizen of the state, you partake of said substance on your time off in compliance of the law, what will the consequence of that in regards to being tested at your place of employment outside of your home state? Even more so, can you be denied employment in a non legal state on an initial drug screen if it is perfectly legal in you home state?
I can safely say, this is going to be a legal nightmare for employers from one end of the USA to the other. Civil Liberties vs Employer Rights will no doubt be a media frenzy and capture a lot of attention. Myself and many a rig hand have debated this vigorously with the pros and cons concerning individual rights and the employers. The resolutions to every scenario never were agreed upon to the satisfaction of both sides of the fence. I write this article to see what everyone else out there has to say on the subject. There is no doubt that employer legal departments have been kicking this scenario around for quite a while. It will be interesting to see what the general oilfield populace has to say on this subject.
Thanks. Doesn’t seem to be getting better very fast. Kind of discouraging.
Has your wife recovered fully?
She can't walk more than about 1/8 mile without sitting.
She teaches school and is on her feet much of the day. Each night her ankle is extremely swollen and she ices it.
I hope your results are much better.
The war on drugs is an unmitigated disaster. Cocaine is cheaper today than in 1970. It’s universally available 24/7 almost anywhere. When the cartels controlled all of the drugs they policed anybody who wasn’t a member and would kill anybody who competed. When the government crushed the cartels they created the perfect free marketplace and free marketplaces are efficient. Now instead of a limited number of “authorized” importers hundreds, possibly a hundred thousand small operators, some of them probably just students who bring in a kilo or two and never do it again. Its gone from a trickle to a flood that nobody can stop.
Here’s an unbreakable law. If there’s a demand for something there will be a supply. Now the war on drugs, although a total failure, has become the livelihood of several hundred thousand cops and their equipment suppliers. Together they constitute a constituency and a lobby that will keep the beast going forever. And it will NEVER stop the flow of drugs. That’s like a hydra. You chop off one head and two more grow instantly to replace it.
I did a job this fall were the general contractor showed up completely drunk. To be productive I had to have him move 8 home run electrical wires so I could run my ducting through a joist. This was the third time I told him to move the stuff and he always forgot. The last time I told him was when he was drunk. He grabbed a pair of side cutters and started cutting the wires without figuring out which ones they were in the breaker panel so they could be shut off first. Sparks flew and he kept cutting. All of the wires were live and he didn’t really give a damn. It was quite funny to watch him on the job. Too bad the homeowner had to pay for all the mistakes he made, but the homeowner was warned.
For many they are wickedly addictive. Even Rush Limbaugh got caught up in that. Estimated 2m addicted in the US. For a time it was called “Hillbilly heroin”, because there was a broad band of abuse from Kentucky to Virginia.
Importantly, the price of black market pills is ridiculous, in some places $100 a pill. But when deprived of their pills many addicted turn to heroin, at 1/4th the price and greater availability. The saying is that they think they will just smoke or snort it, but two weeks later they are injecting it.
When the pills were reformulated to make them harder to abuse, the switch to heroin took place far faster than they suspected. Suddenly there was a huge jump in the number of overdoses in that region, then shortly after in all four corners of the US: Pacific northwest, southern California, Maine and Florida.
But like so many things these days, it has been dropped off the MSM radar, because they think it might embarrass their chosen one.
I’m an electrician in the oil and gas industry.
Nobody is going to beat me for anything. I don’t touch drugs nor will I work with those that do.
I’m also in the Canadian sector which is hundreds of times safer than the world’s other sectors. Everyone comes to us for the training.
The guy putting out the Iraq well they said was a Texan, they neglected to mention that he was the Canadian guy’s helper.
I’m really sorry to hear that. And not only for what it says about my prospects.
We will pray for her.
Yup. Which is why the only way to win the WOD would be to go after demand.
There would be a number of highly effective ways to do this, but unlikely any would be constitutional, much less politically viable.
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Colorado got off to a deadly start based upon the following thread.
Thanks. The first thing the surgeon said after looking at her x-ray was “I hope you never had any dreams about walking around Disneyworld with grandchildren.” (My wife was in her late 40s at the time)
Ahh, the surgeon’s bedside manner.
How’s it different from booze?
Just think, at one time any stoned or drunk employee could be fired forthwith without any legal hassle to the employer. Now an employer will not only have to hire pot smokers but will also be sued if the stoner makes a mistake. Sometimes I can’t help praying for an asteroid....
Sounds like you and I have the same perspective on the War on Drugs fiasco.
Saliva tests work too, and are good at detecting use within the last 12 hours.
The service companies, especially the smaller ones, that do the manual unskilled labor aren’t real particular with who they hire.
I was a pipe inspector.
I had dopers, ex cons, gang bangers, you name it on my crew at various times.
You screw up around men that sling pipe around for 12 -15 hours a day 7 days a week a lot of time, they will take your head off.
They don’t care who you are, where you’re from, or what you do.
You mash their fingers, they mash your face.
Roll a joint of 20” casing onto someone’s ankle and you would be lucky to make it out alive.
I hear ya, I don’t work around those types. Mostly operational well sites, plants etc, where the power is. That said, I retired from the military in 09, I’m the one they fear on site heh, I’m the unarmed master. There’s always better, just haven’t met them yet. Put a weapon in my hands and then watch the real magic:)
I’m hoping these skills get put to use soon for a good reason. When the real men stand up.
A lot of times it’s not just one on one, it’s 4 or 5 on one.
I could lift and carry a 55 gallon drum of diesel, another guy on my crew, a former rig hand out of Wyoming, made it look easy.
There are some rough characters on those crews.
Handling pipe, a screw up will get someone hurt or killed quick.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to peg out someone’s tolerance meter.
They’re the type I’d rather be on their good side than their bad side.
They don’t back down when push comes to shove.
We got sent out with a couple of rent a winos because we were shot handed one day.
They wanted me to sign their time sheets after a couple of hours so they could leave and get paid for the day without working.
I wouldn’t sign off and told them if they wanted to leave, leave.
One tried to roll a jt of 9 5/8” on me.
A guy on my crew took him off the pipe rack and damn near put a pry bar through his forehead.
Probably would have if I hadn’t stopped him.
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