tfs

As the medical marijuana movement gains traction in the West, some formerly reclusive smokers are boldly revealing themselves to an intolerant minority. This week, Steve Elliot’s moving piece in the SFWeekly targeted some of the “anti-marijuana zealots” most popular tactics against medical herb patients.

One tool of the intolerant is the business community practice of mandatory drug testing. Workplace drug testing practice has spread exponentially since the early 1980s despite a complete lack of evidence proving any effectiveness at all. In fact, the most cited statistics used by the drug testing purveyors appeared in a 1972 anti-drug newsletter. There has never been a proven link between workplace drug testing and increased productivity.

In fact, most businesses spend upwards of $77,000 per test, despite the fact that the process is rife with false positives, false negatives, and makes no distinction between at home drug use and on the job drug use. Most often, drug testing simply encourages drug users to switch from more easily detectable drugs (weed, which can be detected for six weeks after use) to much more dangerous substances (cocaine and meth pass through the body in two days or less.)

It is simply by virtue of an effective drug testing industry marketing campaign that businesses have been duped into creating a climate of discrimination against weed smokers. Much like the rest of the anti-drug lobby, facts, evidence, and critical thinking don’t come into play.

It’s time for the business community to realize that medical marijuana users are not only backed by the state government, but completely righteous in their use. There is no moral or legal distinction between them and other workers who may take antidepressants, high cholesterol pills, or an evening brandy.

The only distinction is a physiological one; that is the weed smokers are less likely to be addicted to their medicine than virtually any prescription-toters in the company.