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Ok folks, who are our smokers and who are our non smokers?

My dad just designed a smoking cessation program for his work (he's a pharmacist) and so from hearing him talk about it I know that quitting smoking is possibly the hardest thing a person will do in their life. So, for all you former smokers who quit, a huge CONGRATULATIONS is in order.

RobertF, it sucks that people were acting snotty towards you for smoking. I'm a nonsmoker but with people who smoke, I just warn them about how it's REALLY not healthy and leave it at that. For people I care about, anyway. Acquaitences and the like I leave alone, it's their decision, they know the risks.
 
KristoCat said:
My dad just designed a smoking cessation program for his work (he's a pharmacist) and so from hearing him talk about it I know that quitting smoking is possibly the hardest thing a person will do in their life. So, for all you former smokers who quit, a huge CONGRATULATIONS is in order.

RobertF, it sucks that people were acting snotty towards you for smoking. I'm a nonsmoker but with people who smoke, I just warn them about how it's REALLY not healthy and leave it at that. For people I care about, anyway. Acquaitences and the like I leave alone, it's their decision, they know the risks.
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Cheers Christo, I've been lucky and it's not been to hard for me to quit but it's very tough for heavy smokers and those who are really reliant on it to quit I think.

I've heard of people who deal with helping to get drug addicts clean and they say that they can get people off of heroin, cocaine, anything but they can't get them off of cigarettes.
 
StillILearn said:
That should be made legal. Cigarettes are a worse threat to society.
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I dont take drugs or anything but I would bever submit to a drug test by my employer. It's a disgusting invasion of civil rights.
 
I'm going on 4 years without regular tobacco, and 6 months without the other stuff. Hell, let's call it what it is - weed, herb, you know...stuff.
I feel lots better since I quit. They were both heading me into the ground. I would say that dope is just as bad as tobacco. I know that those that do partake, but don't smoke tobacco, consider themselves non-smokers, but if you're like that, stop kidding yourself. If you are burning something and inhaling the products of the combustion, you are smoking. Both tobacco and dope are very bad habbits. It's one thing to enjoy something every so often - I go on roller costers once a year or so. It's another thing to HAVE to have something. And if that something is bad for your health, and/or is psycho active, and you're doing it all the time, it's time to think about quitting.
I'm not standing on a soapbox lecturing. If you want to smoke - go ahead. For me, I wish I had NEVER lit up, either tobacco or weed. What good did it do me, to subject my lungs, heart, and head to all this? I'll never fully recover - my pulmonary doctor told me that. Sometimes I still feel like I smoke a pack a day - though as I said it's been 4 years.
I saw my stepfather die of lung cancer, though he quit 20 years ago. The only thing that smoking does for you, is give you regrets that you ever tried it. If non-smokers seem sanctimonious, they shouldn't, and they have problems too.
But - listen to what the GREAT Yule Brenner said in his last filmed interview, before he departed into the next world. 3 simple words - JUST DON'T SMOKE.
 
Now here's another thing. It was tough to quit, but there are things that are FAR more difficult. Like, fixing a bad relationship, getting a degree, learning a language, learning an instrument, doing a triple summersault.
The tobacco companies MAKE you believe that quitting is near impossible. That's right, it's part of their schtick. They figure if you think it's so damned hard, you won't even try, or you'll give up as soon as the cravings start. The problem with quitting is it is so easy to quit quitting. You just say f**k it, and go buy a pack, or grub one, and then it's over for at least the next few months. Now, what if it were extremely difficult to get? Suppose you had to fly to another continent? Or, let's say cigaretts were $1000 a pack? I bet you'd find it a whole lot easier to give up the little f***ers for good. I wish they would raise the price to $1000 a pack. Then let's see how hard it is to say goodby to the coffin nails forever.
 
RobertFKennedy said:
I dont take drugs or anything but I would bever submit to a drug test by my employer. It's a disgusting invasion of civil rights.
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For many of us it is a condition of employment. I wouldn't have gotten a job if I couldn't have passed a drug test. Personally, I think I'm glad about that. I don't think I would want to put my life in the hands of someone who could be driving while stoned.
 
mehastings said:
For many of us it is a condition of employment. I wouldn't have gotten a job if I couldn't have passed a drug test. Personally, I think I'm glad about that. I don't think I would want to put my life in the hands of someone who could be driving while stoned.
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The problem is no so much that the drug test would detect and alert to a person who may be getting stoned at work...which is a big problem...but that it detects and alerts the person who may just be getting a buzz on in their own spare time....which could/should have no effect on job performance.

I should be allowed to suck down a few bong hits over the weekend just like I can throw back some beers or tequilla, and not fear for the loss of my job if I'm asked for a pee test on Monday.
 
I can certainly understand that. However, as it is currently the law (I'm not commenting on the legitimacy of said law) you don't really have the "right" to suck down a few bong hits at home any more than you do when you're at work. I know many people who have gone to work drunk or stoned, and I'm glad that the threat of random pee tests keep them from doing so here and driving me into a tree. I don't know that I would feel the same if I worked in an office like you do and the worst danger a stoned person could inflict on me is getting the munchies and eating my lunch.
 
I've only ever tried smoking once in my life when I was like 12 or 13, and haven't had any interest since.
 
mehastings said:
I can certainly understand that. However, as it is currently the law (I'm not commenting on the legitimacy of said law) you don't really have the "right" to suck down a few bong hits at home any more than you do when you're at work. I know many people who have gone to work drunk or stoned, and I'm glad that the threat of random pee tests keep them from doing so here and driving me into a tree. I don't know that I would feel the same if I worked in an office like you do and the worst danger a stoned person could inflict on me is getting the munchies and eating my lunch.
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True, very true. But the idea that what you do on your own time is a legitimate reason to fire somebody from a job, is stretching the limits of common sense.

Would it be ok to fire somebody from their job if the company found out that person got arrested for shoplifting, or cheated on their income tax? Can a company legally fire a person for getting a DUI when that person is driving on their own time? Especially if the job they do is one that does not require actually driving?
 
Motokid said:
True, very true. But the idea that what you do on your own time is a legitimate reason to fire somebody from a job, is stretching the limits of common sense.

Would it be ok to fire somebody from their job if the company found out that person got arrested for shoplifting, or cheated on their income tax? Can a company legally fire a person for getting a DUI when that person is driving on their own time? Especially if the job they do is one that does not require actually driving?
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Excellent points Motokid. Another of my main objections would be that I was being called a liar by my employer. I dont do drugs, never have and my word should be enough. I strongly believe in innocent until proven guilty rather than the other way round.

I would never submit to any kind of mandatory testing by any employer. And I have nothing whatsoever to hide.

If it was a condition of employment I wouldnt take that job on principle. but hey, different strikes and all that.
 
StillILearn said:
That should be made legal. Cigarettes are a worse threat to society.
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so cannabis or marijuana should be made legal and yet you are a rabid anti-smoker?

how does that work exactly? dont you have tobacco in joints, more often than not cigatrette tobacco?

And that stuff does mess with peoples heads. I know people who it has turned into virtual zombies and for many others I know it's led on to other drugs. Also, theres more and more evidence linking it's use to paranoia and depression. Tobacco on it's own doesnt do any of that.
 
Njeh, tobacco on its own only leads to a 'coughy' death.

Ahem...

While I think regular drug testing at work is bordering on paranoia (of a different kind) I also think it's perfectly fair of the employer to instate some sort of regulative measures if an employee is not doing his job. Showing up at work drunk or stoned is not something I would want to pay people for, but to keep them from doing that I should think it ought to be enough to tell them: "Show up drunk again and you won't have to come back". If people can't right themselves after *that* wanring they're not people I'd want working for me anyway. No need for the testing and the who's cheating who mentality.
 
I'm with the "never even been tempted to try it" crowd. Some people call me a liar, or say that I should, just to see what it's like. That seems rather pointless. Why do something I don't want to do, just to see "what it's like". Not sure where I'd benefit from that!

In all honesty I don't understand the mentality of it much either. Say smoking had never existed, and someone introduced it today, I don't think it'd be as popular as it it. It's not good for you, it tastes and smells disgusting and costs a stupid amount of money. People encourage you to drink on your 18th birthday, but not to smoke on your 16th (UK), and people smoke extra expensive, extra disgusting ones on special occassions?
None of that makes any sense to an avid non smoker like myself.
 
Twilite said:
People encourage you to drink on your 18th birthday, but not to smoke on your 16th (UK)
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Wow, you can smoke when you are 16? That sounds a bit young to me.. (In NZ you can smoke when you are 18. Only two years when you think about it, but people are so much more mature when they are 18 than when they are 16. At least IMHO)
 
Motokid said:
True, very true. But the idea that what you do on your own time is a legitimate reason to fire somebody from a job, is stretching the limits of common sense.

Would it be ok to fire somebody from their job if the company found out that person got arrested for shoplifting, or cheated on their income tax? Can a company legally fire a person for getting a DUI when that person is driving on their own time? Especially if the job they do is one that does not require actually driving?
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Actually, in my job, YES. If I were convicted of a crime in my free time I could very well lose my job because of it. I believe the crimes are listed in the Florida Nurse Practice Act. Among them are drug posession, DUI, Child Abuse, Stealing and other such things. It is assumed that if you do these things in your free time it may affect your judgement in Nursing.It is not that you must be fired... but your license is reviewed and you could be. If they don't fire you, then you can be forced into a rehab. INP (Impaired Nurses and Physicians), is the rehab for medical folks (who have amazingly high drug addiction rates). If you are in this program you can't be fired. If you complete it, you can't be fired. From what I hear it is a very tough program though and you must submit to random drug tests. The idea is the Physicians and Nurses should not do drugs at any point. That if you exercise bad judgement here, you may exercise bad judgement during patient care. Plus, God forbid you're stoned while giving patient care. I mean really, where do you think they get the drugs in the first place. WORK.

Not giving an opinion one or another, just answering your question Moto. I could be fired for things like that.

By the way, I tried Pot once. I had a paranoid high and tried to stab my hubby who was at that time my boyfriend. After that I figured that saying "Sorry your honor, but I was *really* stoned." wouldn't be a sufficient excuse and I should probably avoid the stuff. :rolleyes:
 
Motokid said:
True, very true. But the idea that what you do on your own time is a legitimate reason to fire somebody from a job, is stretching the limits of common sense.

Would it be ok to fire somebody from their job if the company found out that person got arrested for shoplifting, or cheated on their income tax? Can a company legally fire a person for getting a DUI when that person is driving on their own time? Especially if the job they do is one that does not require actually driving?
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Like Scottishduffy, I could also lose my job for the things I do in my spare time. Before any teacher is employed by the department of education they have to sign a form allowing the department to do a criminal record check. I'm sure that if I did have a DUI charge against me that wouldn't affect my chances of getting a job, but drug charges would definitely hinder my application, and rightly so. After all, what parent wants their child being taught by a drug addict? I most certainly don't. Teachers are supposed to be role models and act as parents when the parents aren't there. So I have no problem with this check being carried out.

As for regular drug testing, that never happens.

But back to the topic. I'm a smoker and have been for a long time. I have given up several times, the longest period was a bit over 2 years. So why did I start again? Well, I actually like smoking. I know it's bad for me and I know I'm foolish for doing it. It's not something I intend to do forever and actually think I will be quitting again soon anyway, as my financial situation has changed and I won't be able to afford it.
 
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