Good Reasons for Drug Testing

I will say right now, I agree that some social assistance cases should be tested for drugs and rehabilitation would be in order if they fail. Sometimes rock bottom is where people need to hit in order to grow if rehabilitation isn't wanted. I am not saying give up on them, I am not saying don’t take care of their children; I am saying they need to do it on their own.

There are very good reasons for drug testing for people who work in high risk careers though.

Safety of the worker and others is the number one priority for the oil field and construction crews.

Talking with my son, who is looking at welding as a career, welding is very dangerous. How do you think those beams are put together in those tall buildings in major cities around the world?

We have heard how farmers have their accidents on the job, many losing limbs (my daughter was born missing her left hand, we attend War Amps Champs Camps and some of the Champs are from farming backgrounds), construction crews working on skyscrapers and oil field crews (I personally lost someone in the oilfield who had been doing drugs many years ago), the list goes on.

Safety is a very big factor when working in many high paying jobs that is why you are paid high wages and why you receive benefits. Your boss has a legal obligation to make sure his equipment is being properly operated by someone who can do it safely, you need to be alert and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

It is only right that an employer gets to have their employees drug tested. Their employees are an investment. They pay employees huge amounts of money and they pay out a lot in benefits for employees as well.

If you want to look at it another way, if the employee screws up, who pays for it? 

Not the employee, they end up on assistance and believe me when I say Workers Compensation Board WILL throw you to the wind if you screw up. Your benefits will mean nothing if you cause the accident and that Union that you are so fond of…well, they are not going to defend a murderer are they?…because if you are doing drugs on a high risk job site, that is what you are if you kill someone isn't it? I call it as I see it.

Hard working people who make a very good living at what they do, your employers stipulate that drug testing is mandatory for good reasons.

Spilling a plate of Spaghetti on someone’s lap if you’re stoned on marijuana might burn someone and destroy a new outfit, you will end up losing your job, but it won’t kill a person. Working 20 stories in the air and not welding a beam properly, driving a semi into oncoming traffic or you doing one thing wrong on a rig…YOU could kill someone while under the influence.

Do you see the difference?

Those people that believe social assistance cases are constantly using the system or are only on the system because they do not want to work, you either haven’t met someone who is on the system and works as well or you chose not see the other side of how the system works for those who absolutely need it.

I have met and I know some very hard working people who have just been very down on their luck or this is their life. This is what their life was supposed to be like you chose to believe that way. Their life purpose. 

They did not receive the education, the experience or the hand up to get into a career that has benefits so their children can have the things they need like braces, glasses and medications. They work at dead end jobs, smiling at every customer…including you. But won’t ever be able to take those trips you enjoy. Not that they care; they do not envy your life. They are happy in theirs and really, someone still has to hand you that Whopper with Cheese.

Many people do not have children while on welfare. Like me, they try very hard to stay away from the assistance programs, but they end up on assistance AFTER they have had children. There is not much you can do about it when even with an education you still cannot afford a pill for your child when they are sick or need glasses to see.

The people collecting “welfare” are not all sitting at home with a bong between their knees giggling at Cheech and Chong and a bag of chips beside them. Not all of them are women popping out babies every year.

They work as hard as anyone climbing into a Semi, up a Rig or scaling a skyscraper. They sweat just like you. They earn money just like you and they work hard at what they CAN do to survive each day.

The only difference, 

they need help doing it, because not all jobs pay 40/50/100 thousand dollars a year and have benefits to pay for the glasses on their child's face, the tooth knocked out by a bully or the ADD medications that they need. Someone needs to hand you those Tim Horton’s coffees, bag your purchases at Wal-Mart and serve you in a restaurant.

I know many of you agree drug testing is a good thing. As I agree some Social Assistance cases should be as well. I also agree that rehabilitation should be used before “canning” someone. I believe many companies offer that as well in their benefit packages.

Some people though, believe that because they make money, work hard and pay huge amounts of taxes, which a small portion goes to helping those on social assistance, it is not “fair” that they (the workers) have to be tested for drugs and those on welfare don’t. (I would like to point out; these are the first people to say “life is not fair” to those less fortunate when the poor have to go without.)

These are the people who only see what they want,

They see that if they smoke “Pot”, they have to stop smoking it for a month so they can “pee” clean for a job while someone who needs help paying their utilities doesn't.

How fair is that right? Especially when the person peeing is building that skyscraper in downtown Calgary, they have to climb 20 stories? How dare they make you pee in a cup?

It is time people started looking at the bigger picture. It isn't always black and white there are many shades of grey in there and seeing them takes a heart, it takes compassion and it takes parents teaching their children compassion as well.