I'm F*cked, They About to Drug Test Me!
Art Courtesy of Casey Renteria
June 29th 8:42 am this text pops up on my screen coming from my husband.
Photos Courtesy of Author
Surprised, shocked and overcome with immediate anxiety I text back asking what happened. Forty-five minutes later he responded somehow the mirror on the vehicle he was operating fell off while in transit. Although his vehicle didn't make contact with any object but due to company policy, the vehicle had to be taken out of service and that required him to be sent for an incident drug screening. He wasn't able to talk to me because he had to be escorted by a supervisor to the screening location.
So here we are, sitting at four years remaining of a five years' work probation due to his results coming back positive for cannabis. I ask myself daily what I can do to fix this for him and all other workers from these inhumane restrictions. At the time my husband chose to consume he was not on the clock– He was coming off a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and a week-long family vacation. With his COVID-19 diagnosis, knowing we had a family trip the following week, my husband decided to use 2:1 THC/CBD sublingual drops to assist with the minor symptoms he was experiencing. We were extremely thankful this time around he didn't have visible symptoms. One week later, we were on our way to the lake for our multi-family summer vacation.
In previous years we always made sure we hit up the liquor store so my husband and his brother could sip while we're vacationing. That year we didn't make the stop because my husband made the decision to not drink on New Year's Day 2022. He felt that access to alcohol was too available during the COVID-19 pandemic and he needed a break. It began tasting nasty to him after drinking so much and he wanted to take a drinking break until our lake trip in June.
While on sobriety he said he liked the way his body felt, really enjoyed not waking up sluggish, loved the weight loss, had more energy, his skin improved, he did less yelling at the kids about chores, saved money and overall, he felt extremely proud of himself. In truth, he had been using psychedelic mushrooms periodically to get over sadness and depression that came with two friends unexpected passing the previous year. With those experiences, he decided to stop drinking, and rather indulge in holistic methods as needed.
365 days later
I sat down with my husband to ask him how he was feeling as he awaited the results of his incident drug screening. He was mostly worried about being suspended because the loss of income would create unnecessary hardships on our family’s finances. He apologized to me over and over again, but I told him I wouldn't accept it. When he made the decision to use cannabis, he thought his only consequence would be to attend a drug class. He knew he wouldn't be fired but wasn't aware of the 90 days unpaid suspension and 5 years' probation.
My husband said he experienced anxiety, stress, was very nervous and felt like he was in limbo while waiting for the results of his drug screening. Following the employer's procedures, he was not permitted to work until the results came back negative. On July 11th, he was called in to receive his results. He made several attempts to reach his union rep to dispute the accident claim and to be his representative during the meeting. The union rep never responded and did not show up to the meeting. This is the day he found out that his results came back positive, and his 90 days suspension and 5 years' probation will begin.
He said he left feeling like a criminal or someone with an addiction. For the duration of his 90 days suspension, he was required to:
Attend in person drug classes two times per week for 60 minutes.
Call every day at 8AM to see if he has to come in for a drug screening.
Attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings three times a week for one hour.
My husband had already made the decision to stop drinking for the quality of his life. He observed from his own experiences the negative effects and was frustrated because the rules just didn't make sense. All this for a 2:1 sublingual while being sick with COVID-19.
Cannabis Health released an article last month titled "New research suggests alcohol, not cannabis, is the real 'gateway' drug". An excerpt from the study:
"Last year, researchers at the University of Washington, found that young people consumed less alcohol, nicotine, and non-prescribed pain medication, after cannabis was legalized for adult-use. Researchers assessed trends in alcohol, nicotine, and non-prescribed pain reliever use among a cohort of over 12,500 young adults (ages 18 to 25) in Washington State following legalization in 2012. Contrary to concerns about the detrimental effects on wider society, according to the study, “the implementation of legalized non-medical cannabis coincided with decreases in alcohol and cigarette use and pain reliever misuse.””
Using what is referred to as “The Guttman Scale,” researchers found that alcohol was much more of a gateway drug than weed. The study also showed that young people who consumed alcohol had a greatly increased potential to use other drugs as compared to marijuana.
Growing up in inner-city D.C., liquor stores and access to various drugs are readily available. My husband began drinking as a teenager and also experimented with weed. Due to the illegality of weed he drank more than smoking and eventually stuck to drinking because it was the legal option for him as a young adult, since over-policing in our communities was a daily occurrence. Plus, that's what you do hanging out with neighborhood friends–every occasion was a reason to pop bottles, so alcoholism begins early.
Over the last 15 years, I've been witness to my husband drinking past his limits even to the point of requiring fluids at the ER due to alcohol poisoning. When his longtime sandbox friend passed away in 2021, those weeks were difficult. Due to the drug policies at his job, the only outlet to deal with his pain was to drink alcohol. AND DID HE DRINK! The day of the funeral was the worst I had ever seen him suffer from the pain of losing our friend. The drinking was bringing on more depression, so he decided to listen to holistic advice and try magic mushrooms. The mushrooms were a pleasure for him to assist with seeing his way out of depression and sadness.
He first tried psilocybin to get over the PTSD from a work related accident where he almost lost his life. He realized then the power plant medicine has and was sad that it is something he cannot continue to do legally, so he continued to treat his emotional pain with alcohol.
As an employee that is funded by the government he falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. Even with guidelines issued by the Department of Justice, DOT position states:
"We want to make it perfectly clear that the DOJ guidelines will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing program. We will not change our regulated drug testing program based upon these guidelines to Federal prosecutors."
Not only are these policies outdated, but they are further affecting the community, especially those living in disenfranchised neighborhoods. Let’s dissect this with information from the documentary The Fix: "Almost Everything We Know About Addiction Is Wrong". In the documentary, Johann Hari features Professor Bruce Alexander, PhD, who explained the theory that we all have capacity for addiction, as shown by experiments conducted in the early 20th century, aptly named, The Rat in the Cage! Dr. Alexander attempted to reproduce the results of the experiment using more up to date methodologies, so he created a rat park. He created a a beautiful oasis for the rats to live happily and socialize, as they are social creatures, He provided both poisoned water and fresh water. In the happy environment, the rats only drank from the healthy water and didn't display compulsive behaviors. In the original study, the rats lived alone in desperate conditions and always chose the poisoned water.
If we apply this same theory to our modern society, it seems as though the government has created an unhappy environment much like that of the rats in the cage with redlined communities, and the hardships and constant unfairness that comes with living in these communities. In turn, this environment encourages compulsive and abusive behaviors with widespread access to poisons like alcohol and prescribed opiates.
According to the National Library of Medicine:
"Alcohol use remains a major cause of preventable death worldwide occurring prematurely. Despite its global burden, alcohol still is a legal drug. Various studies have also shown that factors like education, occupation, influence from films and family, for stress relief, pleasure during alcohol use, better self-esteem, and occupational boredom are associated with alcohol use. The consumption of alcohol, even in relatively small amounts, increases the risk of being involved in a crash for motorists and pedestrians. It is also associated with impaired judgments and so is often linked to road traffic accidents."
Here is what happened to our family due to my husband's 90 days unpaid suspension:
Loss of regular income: $12,000.00 less in income for our family
Emotional strain and stress: Added strain to make ends meet for things like paying bills, buying food, buying household supplies, supporting our childrens' dreams.
Difficulty within the family’s relationships at home.
12 days less for paid annual vacation/personal leave this year.
The constant feeling of being a criminal from drug testing requirements for 4 more years.
No access for self-certified patients for cannabis or psychedelics and forced prescription drugs for anxiety, stress and depression.
In Johann Hari’s documentary, he concluded that 88.87% of all illicit drug use has no negative effects. Most people who test positive for drug use experience pleasant effects. MDMA therapy makes some feel as though they are living their best lives. As with anything in access, "It's the dose that makes it poison." For the families that missed out on opportunities for better pay and better living conditions, I am here to fight for you!
https://norml.org/blog/2023/05/26/study-no-correlation-between-thc-detection-and-driving-impairment/
#freetheplant #freethepeople
Written by: Undisclosed for backlash protection
Resources:
https://www.transportation.gov/odapc/medical-marijuana-notice
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/workplace
