[speaker001:] hi how you doing
[speaker002:] good
[speaker001:] do you do you have uh drug testing where you are
[speaker002:] yes yes we do right here at the at the very building they have uh a nurse's office
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh I haven't my name hasn't come up yet how about you
[speaker001:] uh yeah I have uh what I've found out out of curiosity was my name has uh has come up twice and we've only been involved with the program say about a year
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and uh when I when I first heard about it I was very uh very defensive I didn't think it was something that that the companies ought to be doing
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] because I felt that I was losing something or taking something away from me
[speaker002:] yes that's the the major issue I guess that uh
[speaker001:] yeah but now um now that it's happening I I feel comfortable with it I I don't feel as though I've lost anything and that I feel uh secure in that I know that everybody that works around me um is is drug free
[speaker002:] I have a a similar opinion at first I wasn't sure but then I thought it was a good thing for the company as as well
[speaker001:] how about how about where you
[speaker002:] uh uh we had a couple of people in our group who wrote one who wrote a huge letter to the editors
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] saying that it's a violation of my rights and this and that and the tests aren't accurate and but I think they've got that testing down to a real science where you know they don't really you know I'm I'm sure you saw the video on how they do the testing and it it's almost impossible I think to uh to make a mistake
[speaker001:] well I was involved in uh in the in the initial training program because I had to go out and teach or explain to other people what we were doing why we were doing it so I I guess I had a little uh uh first hand knowledge of
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] of uh seeing the films I had more of extensive training in in uh background information of the reasons why they were doing it the cost that uh
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] uh that we projected that it that it actually cost companies by having people uh uh be involved with drugs
[speaker002:] who were uh right and that and that's a lot of money
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] and
[speaker001:] how do you feel about other other uh things like public uh safety buses bus drivers and and uh airplane drivers or or pilots rather you
[speaker002:] oh oh taking drug testing
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] oh sure I think that's that's I feel that you know for certain cases that I that I am willing to give up my rights to secure the rights of others I guess is what I'm saying
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] uh when the public whole is at stake
[speaker001:] well I
[speaker002:] then I'm willing to give you know personally I can't speak for others but for myself I'm willing to say okay you know if I see this is a right to if to privacy I'm willing to give up that right because I can see that it's uh public good is at stake and the company good is at stake and you know if they can get this thing under control you know it it's going to save us all money as far as benefits and everything else you know insurance and and and everything else in this country
[speaker001:] um yeah the the uh I've always felt that public people who are involved with the safety of other people should be drug tested I've I have never said that I didn't want that the problem that I had was
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] whether my coworker is on drugs or not has does not have an influence on my safe well-being
[speaker002:] right you don't work in an area where there's chemicals or machinery or or things like that but
[speaker001:] no so I had uh right
[speaker002:] and um they don't have any of that up here but you know um I guess it's just the productivity and the the number of uh uh sick days I guess and that they uh that they accrue
[speaker001:] well I'm sure that's still going to happen
[speaker002:] right well well I I think they would you know someone on drugs probably misses more work I guess that's why this smoking thing came out too
[speaker001:] um you know I've gone to those classes uh unfortunately for me I'm I'm a smoker and um I I saw the statistics that came out on uh smokers typically have more time out of work they're uh uh more prone to accidents and all of those other things and and uh
[speaker002:] when they're drive and that's why why I guess the car insurance has no nonsmoker rates or whatever as well
[speaker001:] for for automobile insurance I had no idea
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] that they were doing that I know that they originally talking about uh health
[speaker002:] oh yeah they nonsmoker at least down here in Texas they have nonsmoker nonsmoker they call them discounts
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] they give you if you're a nonsmoker I I guess there is some kind of studies that show but if you're smoking you're not you're not as you know when you're lighting up or something you know your hands both hands aren't on the wheel or whatever
[speaker001:] you're not as attentive um uh that's uh that's different I've never heard of that how about the um the the smoking premium out in Texas I understand they they started doing that
[speaker002:] that yeah I guess that takes effect in uh
[speaker001:] June July
[speaker002:] when June July yeah
[speaker001:] yeah that they from what I understand that uh notices went out to all of the sites
[speaker002:] right there was a lot of uh controversy about that too I'm not a I'm not a smoker myself
[speaker001:] yeah well that's that's the problem that's you don't uh how about do you eat do you like French fries
[speaker002:] I do
[speaker001:] what would you what would you ever say if they said anybody who eats French fries has to pay a ten percent premium on their life insurance
[speaker002:] yeah I'd probably get upset
[speaker001:] uh then you would get upset it's it's uh what they're doing is they're nibbling at the population piece by piece
[speaker002:] yeah yeah right right
[speaker001:] and uh and now they know that the number or percentage of smokers is is less than the the uh the people who do not smoke then they can go ahead and do that um
[speaker002:] right right right if they I I I assume if they they I guess they're saying with the cigarettes though that they've been able to show that it's the number one leading cause of preventable preventable
[speaker001:] preventable death not yeah but
[speaker002:] death in this country was a half a million people a year or so dying with smoke relating smoking related
[speaker001:] yeah but isn't isn't the uh the insurance also for for uh Blue Cross so they're not only saying preventable not preventable death they're also saying um that you'll have uh less likelihood of being sick if you don't smoke
[speaker002:] right right right right well that's all what I always felt if it if those studies were true about smokers having higher medical costs
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and we do have one smoker in our area who and he he seems to miss a lot of work
[speaker001:] but um is he an older person
[speaker002:] um forty
[speaker001:] well that
[speaker002:] eight maybe
[speaker001:] that's not too old
[speaker002:] yeah forty five forty eight
[speaker001:] yeah and he and he does miss a lot of work
[speaker002:] yeah but then there's people you talk to and say I've never been sick a day in my life you know so I guess I guess you know the the studies show as an average
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] not specific cases and uh
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I thought well with you know if that's really true then then I guess I agreed with the extra premium if it could I mean if they can come along and prove that French fries were the same deal then they have a right to charge for that too I guess
[speaker001:] well what what do you mean if they can prove it there there's already
[speaker002:] yeah that that it's a major cause of uh early
[speaker001:] hardening of the arteries it's it's uh sure it is high cholesterol
[speaker002:] right well it depends if they're cooked in
[speaker001:] see see one of the things that will determine whether they're able to do that or not is not their ability to prove that it is unhealthy because we all know that French fries are not healthy for you it's the capability it's the capability of detecting it
[speaker002:] yeah right right
[speaker001:] how do you prove someone has eaten French fries
[speaker002:] right it it's the it's the honor system isn't it it's the honor system I know it'll be an interesting experiment to see how
[speaker001:] um but I think in time come you're going to see that happening you're going to see um where the high risk people pay a premium but they have to find a way to prove it
[speaker002:] yeah right right well well I think the same way with alcohol too personally it you know that that would probably be the next
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] the next thing
[speaker001:] uh
[speaker002:] I mean but you know there's there's the difference because uh they say you know I guess they say tobacco is addictive I guess they say alcohol is addictive as well
[speaker001:] but yeah there are more drinkers than smokers if you think about it
[speaker002:] oh yeah that's there is oh there is
[speaker001:] and and drinking is still socially acceptable where smoking is socially unacceptable today and so that there's a big difference so that so that they really can't make a a change in in policy about drinking until
[speaker002:] right right right well it's part of the business world too when you make deals you know a lot times it's uh
[speaker001:] yeah yeah right right yeah
[speaker002:] three martini lunch or whatever they say
[speaker001:] so I guess you can you can classify alcohol as a drug so is a cigarette in my opinion um where it's not something I don't think people that are that are smoking are doing it voluntarily I think they're doing it involuntarily
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I know I am um I don't know anybody in their right mind that says that that I'm doing it because I want to I
[speaker002:] yeah yeah makes me feel better
[speaker001:] well I I I do I do make that statement I say I do it because I like it but I can't say I'm I'm I'm doing it because I want to I'm doing it because I have to or because my desire is greater than uh
[speaker002:] right nicotine addiction yeah yeah I have uh my in-laws are both smokers and uh they've tried to quit numerous times and
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and I think the longest they've made it is about three months and then they go to a a friend's house or something and there they're all smoking and and they break yeah they just can't stand it you know all of a sudden they get it's overwhelming and then they break down and then they say I'm a failure and then they just give up you know
[speaker001:] start up again I uh I started when I was younger and uh it was prior to the time that the the risks were uh were known
[speaker002:] were known yeah so well I think we've probably talked long enough
[speaker001:] okay nice talking to you
[speaker002:] well I can tell you're from you've got that New England accent
[speaker001:] and you've got that Southern accent
[speaker002:] does that mean you're you're you're in uh uh New Hampshire what
[speaker001:] I'm in the Attleboro Attleboro Massachusetts plant
[speaker002:] Massachusetts
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] yeah I have uh my wife's uh grandparents are from Boston they're
[speaker001:] oh no kidding