cannabisnews.com: Doctors Excluded From Drug Tests! Doctors Excluded From Drug Tests! Posted by FoM on August 02, 1999 at 06:03:53 PT Source: Billings Gazette JACKSON - All St. John's Hospital employees except doctors will be subject to random drug tests under a new policy approved by the board of trustees. Board president Carol Lewis said the intent was not to exclude doctors, but to "take things one step at a time." "The physicians don't work directly for the hospital, so we have a different relationship with them," she said. The board could require physicians to participate, but would prefer they volunteer, she said. "We're not at this point going to impose it on them," Lewis said. "I would rather they do it on their own, and I think we've made them aware of that." The medical staff should work with trustees on creating its own policy, assistant administrator Paul Bonis said. Chief of staff Al Forbes agreed. "Physicians are relatively independent creatures," Forbes said. "We would much rather arrive at a consensus of opinion than be forced to do anything." Forbes believes the board has been lenient with doctors because there has been "no hint of a drug problem among the medical staff." "There is never a time, if you're in the valley at all, when you can really be too much off of your normal mental alertness," Forbes said. "As a physician, there is really no place for recreational drugs." All prospective employees will be tested beginning Sept. 1, but random testing of existing employees won't begin until December. "This will give the abuser an opportunity to get help before the policy takes effect, and it gives the casual drug user 90 days to clean up," Bonis said. Employees will be tested for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, PCP, alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazapines, methaqualone and stimulants. Hair samples will be taken because they are more accurate than urine tests and nearly impossible to fool, Bonis said. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. Updated: Monday, August 2, 1999Copyright © The Billings Gazettehttp://www.billingsgazette.com/wyoming/990802_wyo02.html Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by dddd on January 08, 2001 at 09:20:37 PT Independance >"Physicians are relatively independent creatures," Forbes said. "We would much rather arrive at a consensus of opinion than be forced to do anything." As if to say that everyone else is not an "independent creature"..........no one else wants to be forced to do anything either.Drug testing is extremely evasive,yet I can understand it being justified in certain cases.The problem is,that it's way out of hand.You probably need a drug test to work at Taco Bell nowdays. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on January 08, 2001 at 08:33:47 PT: Is that So? "As a physician, there is really no place for recreational drugs." If he does not define that to include alcohol, then he's a hypocrite. Medically, based on impairment indices, there is no reason to include cannabis while excluding alcohol. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by john on January 08, 2001 at 07:47:03 PT: D-testing barmey/bonk [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Doc Hawk on August 03, 1999 at 18:24:03 PT: Hair testing vs Urine testing The statement that hair testing is more accurate than urine testing is outright false! I have endured my share of random urine tests, and have seen them done as well as that procedure can be done (former FAA). With adequate preparation, chain of custody, certified (checked by random positive and negative samples) labs, dividing each sample into several parts for evidence and independent verification, and GC/MS confirmation of positives, our tests were as accurate as humanly posible - and they still admitted to swapping a pair of samples. Hair testing is not accepted to be nearly as accurate and does not have the built in safeguards that properly conducted urine tests do.A first rate lab, National Medical Services, performs all sorts of drug testing and has an excellent page about hair testing at : http://www.nmslab.com/hairint.html . Note that their hair tests do not test for marijuana use. Also note all of the information near the bottom of the page that indicates their own uncertainty. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Pat on August 03, 1999 at 01:31:37 PT CongressCritters Want Everbody But Themselves... ... "tested" too.In fact, our US government first steals your money from you, and then gives some of it back to companies in the form of subsidies so they can more easily test their employees for cannabis usage.Peace or War - Life or Death.Pat [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by rainbow on August 02, 1999 at 15:27:47 PT: UW Doctors While in College at the University of Washington I had the opportunity to work a party for one of the top doctors at the medical school there. He lived on the exclusive Mercer Island.I listenned and in disbelief heard the top doc tell one of his underlings that he could go up to the main bathroom and find a syringe and xxx legal drug. I can not remember what the symptom was he was treating but hey they are doctors and know what is right. YEH sure they do.CheersTom [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by John Lenin on August 02, 1999 at 14:27:59 PT Hair tests Since they will be using hair testing, I guess the fair haired hospital employees can do all the drug they want. Hair tests are discriminatory in that they are very effective in detecting drugs in darker haired individuals, but not effective in detecting drugs in blondes. Oh well, its a racist war anyway... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 02, 1999 at 12:22:07 PT: I Agree! I agree! I have seen some pretty whacked out Doctors. They make one slip and it can kill you. I still don't get the logic of our system. Never have, probably never will! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ally on August 02, 1999 at 07:46:03 PT Why should a physician be exempt?? I worked in a hospital for fourteen years! I can tell you that besides terrible ego problems physicians are some of the main offenders, and habitual users of hard drugs! I feel like this is blashemy, and that if I were an employee i would refuse to take the drug test because of favoritism! Drug abuse does not discriminate!--Shalom, Ally [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: