Legal vs fully legal. Is there a difference?

[SmittynMo]

I'm a bit confused here. See the link below.

If something is legal in a state, shouldn't it be legal for all residences in that state. Personal and corporate?

Weed is now legal in many states with many more hoping to jump on the bandwagon this year. And you know it is all about the money, and the fact that we partially lost the war on drugs. Billions down the toilet. Tens of thousands in jail for selling or smoking a few ounces, creating a criminal record. It has been a total disaster, especially since it has been proven to be safer that alcohol.

So our next move is to make it legal. OK, I don't have a problem with that. Whatever. Now we have to set levels of being legal. Legal for medicinal purposes, legal, and fully legal. I just read the term "fully legal" today. I thought there was only one definition of legal? You should allow "anyone" to use the product, without reciprocation. The only reciprocation I see is the one you created yourself, in the form of a hangover, or the munchies. You're on your own there. It's your choice, right? It's a free country, right?

We'll corporate America thinks "legal" is different than the rest of us. They'll fire your ass in Colorado for testing positive, even though you're not high at the time. You smoked a joint at a party a few weeks back, and now you have to pay for it with your job? It was legal to purchase and consume the product at the time. So why lose your job over it? And you definitely were not high at the time, nor at the job. On the other hand, I got drunk last night. I have a slight hangover and go to work. I get tested positive for alcohol, maybe. I don't know how long alcohol stays in your system to result in a positive test. Do you lose your job? Most likely not.

And then I read a headline today that some country has made it fully legal? WTF!!! I don't even know what that means. Sorry, I didn't read the article.

Is this the new double standard for LEGAL?

Legal is legal. Which means you broke no laws. Yet you can lose your job for doing something legal?

There's something wrong here, big time.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/puff-puff-pink-slip-legal-weed-use-still-carries-job-n153841

[DrDan]

1. It may be legal to drink, but drink on the job and there

Is a good chance you will lose your job.

It is legal to smoke, but not smoking is a criteria for employment in some cases.

There is "legal", and there are rules for employment. And these might be different.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. I think there are certain types of work in which you need to know

your workers are as close to free from outside influences (drugs of various sorts, including alcohol) as possible. Do I care if the cashier at the grocery store was smoking weed right before work? Probably not. Do I care if my surgeon was? I sure as heck do. And I don't expect any facility to want to keep me on staff if they don't feel I can be careful to keep my use of any recreational drug completely separate from my work as humanly possible. And, unfortunately, the tests used for THC are not time-sensitive enough to provide a tightly granular picture of usage. You want to make jobs where it matters to be more open to hiring (or not firing) users? Come up with inexpensive and easy to administer tests that identify just when THC was used, and if it's still in the system, so that your guy who smoked 'a few weeks back' tests negative, but your guy who smoked this morning while driving to work tests positive.

[el_bryanto]

3. So, tell me about the hash bars.

Jules Winnfield: Okay, so, tell me about the hash bars.
Vincent Vega: So what you want to know?
Jules: Well, hash is legal there, right?
Vincent: Yeah, it's legal, but it ain't a hundred percent legal. I mean, you can't walk into a restaurant, roll a joint, and start puffin' away. They want you to smoke in your home or certain designated places.
Jules: Those are hash bars?
Vincent: Breaks down like this, okay: it's legal to buy it, it's legal to own it, and if you're the proprietor of a hash bar, it's legal to sell it. It's illegal to carry it, but that doesn't really matter 'cause, get a load of this, all right; if you get stopped by the cops in Amsterdam, it's illegal for them to search you. I mean, that's a right the cops in Amsterdam don't have.
Jules: [laughing] Oh, man. I'm going, that's all there is to it. I'm fucking going.
Vincent: Yeah, baby, you'd dig it the most.

Hopefully that helps put it in perspective.

Bryant

[SmittynMo]

4. Common sense dictates

that a responsible human being would not go to work stoned, or drunk. How may times have I witnessed someone stoned, or drunk at that work place? None in 40 years. It's just common sense. I'm not saying it doesn't happen.

And how many surgeons are randomly tested vs cashiers? I'm guessing cashiers. Another double standard.

I just don't get it. LEGAL is LEGAL.

I'm not an advocate for pot by any means, but if it's legal, (IE: No one broke the law) then why test people for it? There should be no recourse.

Someone needs to explain to corporate America what the definition of legal really is.

I mean, when you terminate someone, do you put "Terminated for consuming a legal drug", as the reason for termination? One would think there would be lawsuits by now. Again, LEGAL IS LEGAL!!!

[DrDan]

5. Do you have children

If so, do you set any rules - like curfews?

Is it "legal" to stay out after curfew?

Of course corporations can set rules - same as parents.

[snooper2]

7. We used to get baked before working at the plastic company-

And I got promoted after three months LOL

Mold opens, pull the pieces out, trim the flashing, throw in box, keep count-

Repeat, repeat, repeat,


It was a lot more fun to get to drive the forklift and move the full boxes back to the warehouse

[Sheldon Cooper]

9. You can put "terminated for being under the influence while at work".

It doesn't matter if it's legal or illegal, if you're drunk/stoned and on the clock, you are fired. Period. I certainly hope you aren't arguing that it's fine and dandy to be drunk or high while working.

[SmittynMo]

10. Absolutely not

As I indicated before. Common sense rules.

[Lex]

6. A business can decide it doesn't want to hire people who smoke pot.

Like maybe a truck driving company, or UPS. I believe the courts have ruled that they exclude those who test positive even if the substance is legal. They don't mean not being high at work, but no pot in your system. Same with testing positive with opiates--you may have a legitimate prescription for them but the company doesn't hire anyone who tests positive for them.

[moriah]

8. If companies can refuse to hire nicotine addicts, they can refuse to hire pot smokers.

It sucks, but most smokers know how to beat unobserved tests, if they work at all. Tobacco smokers are having to learn those same tricks lately.