# Drug freee policy?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 4, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604 "2001-09-04T01:41:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/1 "2001-09-04T01:41:12Z")
Here’s the deal; Lets say I work in a drug free workplace and I travel to Amsterdam for vacation. While there I decide to smoke a little weed since its legal in Amsterdam.Now I come back to work only to find low and behold I have to take a drug test and I of course come up positive.
My question is can they fire me? Technically I haven’t broken any laws. So what right would the company have if they _did_ fire me?
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/2 "2001-09-04T02:01:04Z")
Because it’s against their rules.
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### Author:  [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/3 "2001-09-04T02:07:22Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SHAKES \*
> **I decide to smoke a little weed since its legal in Amsterdam.**
Marijuana, or whatever form it takes, is not legal in Amsterdam. It is tolerated.
I think someone has already mentioned this on another thread.
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### Author:  [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/4 "2001-09-04T02:25:35Z")
The free-market thing to do would be to get a different job. Eventually, if the employer has trouble filling the position because all the applicants are concerned about their privacy, they will be forced to change the policy.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/5 "2001-09-04T02:40:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Reeder \*
> \*\*Because it’s against their rules. \*\*
I don’t think employers can just make up rules that govern our personal lives. Hell with that frame of mind they could tell us what time to goto bed as well as what to whatch on tv.
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### Author:  [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/6 "2001-09-04T02:44:14Z")
The unfortunate truth is that they can do just that. It’s just easier to test for off-hours drug use than to test for off-hours TV watching.
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### Author:  [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/7 "2001-09-04T02:44:29Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SHAKES \*
> \*\*(irrelevant meanderings deleted)
>
> …My question is can they fire me? Technically I haven’t broken any laws. So what right would the company have if they _did_ fire me? \*\*
Yes, they can fire you, and probably will. MJ could be legalized yesterday and it won’t matter. They don’t want potheads running machinery, flying the plane, you know, stuff like that. Dig?
Even if certain drugs were legalized and/or decriminalized in certain states, you could still get canned. The reason being is your contract. You agreed, if you read the fine and not so fine print, to stay ‘clean’ as a condition of your employment.
Theoretically, there are some exceptions, but flying to Amsterdam to hang out in the coffee bars and smoke hash probably doesn’t qualify.
Native Americans of certain tribes are authorized, get this, to participate in peyote ceremonies while on authorized absence from the United States Army. I think that’s a wonderful accomodation of a religious practice, especially by ‘the gubbmint.’
Your case doesn’t sound very religious to me, ymmv.
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### Author:  [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/8 "2001-09-04T02:54:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SHAKES \*
> **I don’t think employers can just make up rules that govern our personal lives.**
Dude, you don’t get out much, do you? (kidding!)
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Reality, where they detect, reject, infect, inspect, dis-respect and probably a few others I can’t think of right now.
Smoking a _cigarette_ is verboten in quite a few towns and cities these days, and it’s a legal product. Hell, California will be smoke free eventually, I’d bet.
On a philosophical level, I agree with you to a point. If I owned a bar/cafe, using the tobacco example, I would hire only smokers (Oh, I can’t do that either, right?) and tell the tobacco nazis to get bent. If you don’t like smoke, go somewhere else.
Get involved. Go to your city council meetings and listen to the myriad of ways they want to separate you from your little freedoms, which usually involves taking more of your money. Watch C-Span, where they often conspire to take even more of both.
You could always start your own business, and smoke all the weed you want. Maybe.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-freee-policy/79604/9 "2001-09-04T03:52:48Z")
Almost the exact same question was asked and answered less than 24 hours ago in this forum. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85064](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85064) I am therefore closing this thread.
This is the forum for _asking what is_. The forum for debating _that which should be_ is Great Debates. The BBQ Pit is the forum for _complaining about that which is_.
bibliophage
moderator, GQ