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She was 16 years old when she entered the workforce -- and when she first lit up a joint. For the next 25 years, smoking marijuana was a daily part of life.
Now a 59-year-old mother of four, the Columbus woman even smoked marijuana throughout the pregnancy of her second son.
By the time she quit marijuana in her early 40s, the woman, who asked not to be identified, had held down various clerical jobs, as well as a stint as a factory worker.
And she was able to hide it from bosses and co-workers.
"One thing about it was, as long as you were doing your job and you never gave them any reason to suspect you were using, then you never had to worry about getting (randomly drug) tested," said the woman, who now works as a secretary. "That was never a concern because I came in and I did my job. I did what I was supposed to do."
Marijuana is one of the most widely used illegal drugs among Americans -- and adults in the workforce are no exception.
The reality is that it's possible for marijuana smokers to be functional workers: according to the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, more than 77 percent of all illegal drug users are employed.
Cheryl Sapp, adult counselor at Bradford Health Services, said it's very possible working adults can smoke weed without their employers ever finding out.
She said at least 30 percent of clients she has treated have been employed marijuana users from all kinds of industries -- without ever getting caught.
"It does not discriminate," Sapp said. "You may find them anywhere from fast food to blue collar to professional. It's everywhere."
Marijuana use, of course, comes with risks -- one being the possibility that a person can become addicted. And once you cross that line, Sapp said, on-the-job issues can surface.
Studies have shown that weed-smoking workers are more likely than their sober colleagues to have problems on the job: tardiness, increased absences and lower productivity, for example. Research has also shown increased marijuana use affects memory and learning abilities, which can cause workers to fall behind in increasing their intellect or building job skills.
For the company, it can mean more accidents, workers compensation claims and job turnover.
The 59-year-old Columbus woman insists that smoking marijuana by itself did not affect her professional life.
"It just was never a problem," she said. "Like a person who wakes up and drinks a cup of coffee and smokes a cigarette, I'd wake up and smoke a joint and go to work."
But she admitted that her marijuana use eventually led to her using harder drugs -- including cocaine. And that had a "devastating" effect on her professional life.
"Sometimes I would stay up two or three nights and then I wouldn't come to work," she said. "My work was lousy."
Professional risks
Whether workers use marijuana occasionally or heavily, there are professional risks all the same, substance abuse counselors say.
Donna Plummer, counseling center director who specializes in substance abuse counseling at the Pastoral Institute, said the primary effects of smoking pot can last a number of minutes. But the drug can stay in a person's system for up to 45 days -- which a drug test can detect.
If random or post-incident drug tests are part of company policy, that could mean serious consequences for employees who are caught.
"If someone smoked 45 days ago, does that mean their performance is impaired? Not exactly, but they are still violating company policy," Plummer said.
"Unless you can afford to take a 30-day vacation after you smoke pot," she joked, "then it's probably not safe for you to use it while in the workplace. You're at risk for it showing up."
Some employers will give offenders a second chance. But for companies with a zero-tolerance policy, employees may find themselves out of a job -- and with no unemployment benefits. If an employer in Georgia or Alabama fires you because you violated their drug-free workplace policy -- and they have proof -- you may not be eligible to collect unemployment.
A few employers across the country require drug tests for their employees. For example, safety-sensitive federal employees with the Department of Transportation must undergo testing. Federal law also requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to have a drug-free workplace program in place.
Most employers across the U.S. are not mandated to conduct such tests. But a growing number of private employers -- from construction companies to medical facilities -- are doing so willingly. At the Columbus location of aircraft manufacturing company Cessna, all employees are drug tested after accidents or if supervisors have reasonable suspicion. Pre-employment drug tests are also administered.
"The product that we build, if you make mistakes and it got out of here, the consequences are not insignificant," said Steve Sucher, human resources manager at the Columbus site. "We need attention to detail."
Cessna recently won two major safety awards based on its low accident rates, and Sucher said he thinks their drug-free workplace policy played a part in that. When they find a marijuana user among their ranks, Sucher said the first-time offender is given a second chance. Users are sent to the Pastoral Institute for counseling, but they also must undergo random drug tests. And if they're caught again, they can say goodbye.
"Our whole intention with our coaching process is not to be punitive, but corrective," Sucher said. "But unfortunately there are some people who are not correcting -- and that leads to separation."
Drug-free workplace
Local companies can also become certified as drug-free workplaces. The process requires establishing a substance abuse policy, implementing drug tests, educating employees, training supervisors and providing employees a resource list of treatment centers.
"Most employers don't want people who are on drugs or any kind of substance in the workplace," said Marie Cordero, program manager for the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce's Drugs Don't Work program, which offers drug-free workplace certification.
Cordero said certification can save a company "thousands of dollars" in claims because of negligent documentation policies. Negligent hiring, employee discrimination, workers compensation claims and payment of unemployment benefits can cost a company that doesn't have a drug-free workplace program.
Specifically, Georgia employers that have a certified drug-free workplace program can also get a minimum 7.5 percent discount on workers' compensation premiums. In Alabama, businesses earn a 5 percent discount for up to four years. The cost of drug testing depends on the kind of test and drugs involved. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, drug tests that use urine samples generally cost between $10 and $30 per test. The price for hair tests are a bit higher. Sucher at Cessna said the pre-employment process -- background checks and drug tests -- can cost "several hundred dollars" for each candidate. And at the Columbus site, that can add up for its 675 employees.
But Sucher said it's worth it.
"In our industry, you have to look at what would be the cost of not having that," Sucher said. "We're producing planes that have a pretty high price tag and it's only fair to our customers that the quality meets every expectation they have... . If you spend your money on getting the right people and you don't have turnover, it's a lot more cost-effective."
As for the 59-year-old Columbus woman, a pre-employment drug test is what helped her realize she needed to kick her marijuana habit. She was working a temporary job at W.C. Bradley when the company told her they wanted to hire her full-time. But that would require a pre-employment drug test, which she failed. The company told her they couldn't hire her.
Shortly after that incident, she started attending support group meetings to help her quit smoking marijuana.
"It was hard," she said. "But it was either make the decision to stop or not have a job."
She has been drug-free for more than 10 years now and has held her current secretarial job for about six years.
"It's been a lot better," she said. "I don't even have to worry about it if I ever wanted to get another job, if they wanted to do a drug test.
"I've used the excuse that because my life wasn't going the way I wanted it to go, I would go get high to make my life feel better. But the reality is my life was still the way that it was even after I got high. It didn't change anything. Using is not going to change the situation. Only you can change the situation."
hxxp://tinyurl.com/64s2od
Now a 59-year-old mother of four, the Columbus woman even smoked marijuana throughout the pregnancy of her second son.
By the time she quit marijuana in her early 40s, the woman, who asked not to be identified, had held down various clerical jobs, as well as a stint as a factory worker.
And she was able to hide it from bosses and co-workers.
"One thing about it was, as long as you were doing your job and you never gave them any reason to suspect you were using, then you never had to worry about getting (randomly drug) tested," said the woman, who now works as a secretary. "That was never a concern because I came in and I did my job. I did what I was supposed to do."
Marijuana is one of the most widely used illegal drugs among Americans -- and adults in the workforce are no exception.
The reality is that it's possible for marijuana smokers to be functional workers: according to the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, more than 77 percent of all illegal drug users are employed.
Cheryl Sapp, adult counselor at Bradford Health Services, said it's very possible working adults can smoke weed without their employers ever finding out.
She said at least 30 percent of clients she has treated have been employed marijuana users from all kinds of industries -- without ever getting caught.
"It does not discriminate," Sapp said. "You may find them anywhere from fast food to blue collar to professional. It's everywhere."
Marijuana use, of course, comes with risks -- one being the possibility that a person can become addicted. And once you cross that line, Sapp said, on-the-job issues can surface.
Studies have shown that weed-smoking workers are more likely than their sober colleagues to have problems on the job: tardiness, increased absences and lower productivity, for example. Research has also shown increased marijuana use affects memory and learning abilities, which can cause workers to fall behind in increasing their intellect or building job skills.
For the company, it can mean more accidents, workers compensation claims and job turnover.
The 59-year-old Columbus woman insists that smoking marijuana by itself did not affect her professional life.
"It just was never a problem," she said. "Like a person who wakes up and drinks a cup of coffee and smokes a cigarette, I'd wake up and smoke a joint and go to work."
But she admitted that her marijuana use eventually led to her using harder drugs -- including cocaine. And that had a "devastating" effect on her professional life.
"Sometimes I would stay up two or three nights and then I wouldn't come to work," she said. "My work was lousy."
Professional risks
Whether workers use marijuana occasionally or heavily, there are professional risks all the same, substance abuse counselors say.
Donna Plummer, counseling center director who specializes in substance abuse counseling at the Pastoral Institute, said the primary effects of smoking pot can last a number of minutes. But the drug can stay in a person's system for up to 45 days -- which a drug test can detect.
If random or post-incident drug tests are part of company policy, that could mean serious consequences for employees who are caught.
"If someone smoked 45 days ago, does that mean their performance is impaired? Not exactly, but they are still violating company policy," Plummer said.
"Unless you can afford to take a 30-day vacation after you smoke pot," she joked, "then it's probably not safe for you to use it while in the workplace. You're at risk for it showing up."
Some employers will give offenders a second chance. But for companies with a zero-tolerance policy, employees may find themselves out of a job -- and with no unemployment benefits. If an employer in Georgia or Alabama fires you because you violated their drug-free workplace policy -- and they have proof -- you may not be eligible to collect unemployment.
A few employers across the country require drug tests for their employees. For example, safety-sensitive federal employees with the Department of Transportation must undergo testing. Federal law also requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to have a drug-free workplace program in place.
Most employers across the U.S. are not mandated to conduct such tests. But a growing number of private employers -- from construction companies to medical facilities -- are doing so willingly. At the Columbus location of aircraft manufacturing company Cessna, all employees are drug tested after accidents or if supervisors have reasonable suspicion. Pre-employment drug tests are also administered.
"The product that we build, if you make mistakes and it got out of here, the consequences are not insignificant," said Steve Sucher, human resources manager at the Columbus site. "We need attention to detail."
Cessna recently won two major safety awards based on its low accident rates, and Sucher said he thinks their drug-free workplace policy played a part in that. When they find a marijuana user among their ranks, Sucher said the first-time offender is given a second chance. Users are sent to the Pastoral Institute for counseling, but they also must undergo random drug tests. And if they're caught again, they can say goodbye.
"Our whole intention with our coaching process is not to be punitive, but corrective," Sucher said. "But unfortunately there are some people who are not correcting -- and that leads to separation."
Drug-free workplace
Local companies can also become certified as drug-free workplaces. The process requires establishing a substance abuse policy, implementing drug tests, educating employees, training supervisors and providing employees a resource list of treatment centers.
"Most employers don't want people who are on drugs or any kind of substance in the workplace," said Marie Cordero, program manager for the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce's Drugs Don't Work program, which offers drug-free workplace certification.
Cordero said certification can save a company "thousands of dollars" in claims because of negligent documentation policies. Negligent hiring, employee discrimination, workers compensation claims and payment of unemployment benefits can cost a company that doesn't have a drug-free workplace program.
Specifically, Georgia employers that have a certified drug-free workplace program can also get a minimum 7.5 percent discount on workers' compensation premiums. In Alabama, businesses earn a 5 percent discount for up to four years. The cost of drug testing depends on the kind of test and drugs involved. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, drug tests that use urine samples generally cost between $10 and $30 per test. The price for hair tests are a bit higher. Sucher at Cessna said the pre-employment process -- background checks and drug tests -- can cost "several hundred dollars" for each candidate. And at the Columbus site, that can add up for its 675 employees.
But Sucher said it's worth it.
"In our industry, you have to look at what would be the cost of not having that," Sucher said. "We're producing planes that have a pretty high price tag and it's only fair to our customers that the quality meets every expectation they have... . If you spend your money on getting the right people and you don't have turnover, it's a lot more cost-effective."
As for the 59-year-old Columbus woman, a pre-employment drug test is what helped her realize she needed to kick her marijuana habit. She was working a temporary job at W.C. Bradley when the company told her they wanted to hire her full-time. But that would require a pre-employment drug test, which she failed. The company told her they couldn't hire her.
Shortly after that incident, she started attending support group meetings to help her quit smoking marijuana.
"It was hard," she said. "But it was either make the decision to stop or not have a job."
She has been drug-free for more than 10 years now and has held her current secretarial job for about six years.
"It's been a lot better," she said. "I don't even have to worry about it if I ever wanted to get another job, if they wanted to do a drug test.
"I've used the excuse that because my life wasn't going the way I wanted it to go, I would go get high to make my life feel better. But the reality is my life was still the way that it was even after I got high. It didn't change anything. Using is not going to change the situation. Only you can change the situation."
hxxp://tinyurl.com/64s2od
