[speaker001:] [Radio] [Talking] Uh, being a former drug user [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Whoa.
[speaker001:] I, uh, I, I guess I have to say at this point, that I do approve of it.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, because I know that, uh, in using drugs I was not a good employee.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And so I can see from the company's standpoint that there, uh, whenever you are an employee of the company, you are using its assets, and, uh, b-, you are also under their liability, under the Workmen's Comp.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, on my job we had a lot of Workmen's Comp cases and,
[speaker002:] Where do you work?
[speaker001:] I work for a tire company
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] Modern Tire. And, uh, it's also a retreading plant, and that's where most of our, uh, injuries occur.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And what we do is we'll have a drug test if an, if a, a break or a man, uh, has an accident. Then he's automatically, uh, given a drug test.
[speaker002:] Right. Do they do it, like, you know, within hours of the [pause] accident, or is it?
[speaker001:] Yes, when he goes to the doctor the first time.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And so, that kind of, uh, I don't know if it's been a deterrent or not, because we have, uh, just started using it
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] oh, for the past year or so.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Now we've let some people go, uh, that wa-, we, was found that drugs were used in their system. Now, I don't know how T E C would handle it. They haven't pursued it, you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, if there's some, uh, problem I know, there was one guy that we tested for preemployment for drugs who absolutely swore up and down that it showed that he was using amphetamines, and he went to a, a separate drug
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] testing firm, and they showed it negative.
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] So I think the tests themselves are not really that
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] cut and dried, you know.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I think that's probably true, too. That's, that's, that's sort of scary.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, really. And then I also had a friend who was just around some people that were smoking cocaine.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And he tested positive on cocaine. Now then you always wonder, well is he just saying that [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, [LAUGHTER] yeah, really, really.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah, that's, that's a bad situation. I think that probably, I think most companies now, as far as entry,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, exams require that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I think they should.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I'm a T I employee and
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and, and, uh, I'm, I'm really gung ho for it. In fact I, you know, some of the places now, um, like I B M don't allow them smoking, you know
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] in, in the plant.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] We, we have designated smoking areas.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, um, I work in sort of a building that's, that's not really, well it's on the campus of the T I facility, but it's a little bit, you know, separated. We lease the building. And it's, it's a factory environment.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, they, they have designated smoking, but it's just wide open, it's not ventilated properly
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and I think that's bad. But as far as the drugs, you know, being in the factory kind of environment that way
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I think it's a, it's a definite, I think it's essential.
[speaker001:] Yeah, because you're endangering everybody's lives if you
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] if it's something like that.
[speaker002:] In fact we've had the policy on just the random testing now
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] for a couple years, and, uh, [LAUGHTER] I, I was giving my boss a hard time because I kept waiting for my name to came, come up, you know,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] they never, they never called me, they never, you know, and finally, the day we declared war was my time [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] You're kidding [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] No [LAUGHTER]. And so, and, and my boss has, has gone for about like three times, I think. And I told him he's obviously in a high risk group [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] The executives, right?
[speaker002:] Right, right, and of course, you know, they did [phone being moved around and making sound] specifically single them out when we started,
[speaker001:] [Cough].
[speaker002:] you know, that they were going to do all them first.
[speaker001:] The executives?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Wouldn't that be awful if you were [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Which I thought was interesting [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] if you were using, and, and
[speaker002:] Oh, man, yeah.
[speaker001:] oh, lose your job and everything.
[speaker002:] Ooh, yeah.
[speaker001:] I can't believe I was so [pause] brazen before. I, like I say, I'm a former drug user,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] but, uh, I, I, well, I, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and so I don't use drugs any more.
[speaker002:] Oh, what kind of drugs did you use, if you don't mind?
[speaker001:] Uh, marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines.
[speaker002:] Wow!
[speaker001:] Um, yes, uh-huh [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] And all on the job, too.
[speaker002:] Really?
[speaker001:] You know, it had gotten that bad.
[speaker002:] Well, it's really lucky that you got away from that.
[speaker001:] Really,
[speaker002:] Cause that's really,
[speaker001:] it's, it's life is so much more enjoyable.
[speaker002:] downward spiral.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. And I was losing jobs just from doing a poor job, you know.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's it.
[speaker001:] I mean, you know, there's all kinds of drawbacks, much less the drug testing.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Just life in general.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, that's right.
[speaker002:] Yeah, well, well I'm definitely for it.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Plus, you know, you, you want to think that, that you're working with people who are not only putting out their fair share,
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] but that are not endangering your life, in some cases
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] like, uh, my husband, uh, several years back, worked for Motorola.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And they had, you know, I mean it was a chemical handling type.
[speaker001:] Oh, goodness.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I mean, and they have, they have some serious chemicals out there
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] you know, like they have emergency shower where you just run in there and strip off and dump water, you know, that kind of thing.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And they had people out there using all sorts of drugs handling those chemicals.
[speaker001:] Oh, my gosh.
[speaker002:] And that's really, that's really frightening.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So I think some place, you know, places like that, it should be like mandatory
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] like, you know, on, on a, on a greater frequency than maybe,
[speaker001:] Right,
[speaker002:] just, you know, paper pushers like, like I am.
[speaker001:] I would think there would be.
[speaker002:] Well, well you'd think so but, uh,
[speaker001:] But they weren't?
[speaker002:] I don't know if they do it till yet.
[speaker001:] Isn't that awful.
[speaker002:] Because when he was at, course now it's been years now, because it was before, it was even before they had the, the designated smoking
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] type stuff, you know, at T I. I forgot what, I guess it was like eighty-four, eighty-five
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] something like that. And they, at that time, they had no testing whatsoever.
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] So that's scary [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah. That reminds me of, uh, I have a friend who was telling me about her brother who gets high all the time, and I have just casually asked her what he did for a living. And she said, Oh, he's the supervisor of this chemical land fill, you know
[speaker002:] Oh, Lord.
[speaker001:] where they go and dump all this toxic stuff.
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] And I just, you know, went, Oh, where? [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah, should we move?
[speaker001:] Let me move as far away as possible.
[speaker002:] Ooh.
[speaker001:] Yeah,
[speaker002:] That's awful.
[speaker001:] But, I'm proud, though, that, that, um, you know, I grew up in the sixties, and back then it was popular
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] you know,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] but people have really wizened, you know, become wise about drugs
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and they really have a good campaign for the young people, you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] They know it's not smart, so.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] So, I guess it was just a generational thing.
[speaker002:] Yeah, peer group is the other way now instead of,
[speaker001:] That's right, and that's good.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, that's,
[speaker001:] That's the best way to stop it.
[speaker002:] Yeah, that, it really is.
[speaker001:] Yeah, well, I think we did it.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] So it's good talking to you.
[speaker002:] Well, I enjoyed talking to you, Cathy.
[speaker001:] Yeah, bye-bye [music].