Putting Your Life In The Hands of a MJ User?

[His_Highness]

In another thread someone mentioned being concerned about registering for medical use because they are in a profession where they believe that info could harm their career. This reminded me of the time I went to my dentist and thought his eyes were a little red and I thought I smelled MJ on his breath. I was a little nervous because of it but didn't mention it.

I don't know if this topic has been raised before but my question is....

Would you be uncomfortable with someone doing complex and intricate work for you or on you if you knew the person used MJ? And while we're on the subject....what would you do if you were climbing into a cab and smelled weed on the driver's breath?

My take...I could care less as long as the person wasn't buzzed while doing the work for me or on me.

 

[Joel W.]

It depends on the users tolerances imo. . If the doc just started using recently and his tolerance was low, I would be uncomfortable. But if he had a decade under his belt with a high tolerance, i say go for it. Same goes for anyone.

I'd say the same argument could and has been made for booze, but even with a high tolerance, I always felt impaired.

I vape from 3:30am till 9:30 pm and I never feel impaired. I am not concerned driving, using heavy machinery or dealing with dangerous conditions on the job.

This was not always the case. It takes time and practice.

 

[syrupy]

In another thread someone mentioned being concerned about registering for medical use because they are in a profession where they believe that info could harm their career. This reminded me of the time I went to my dentist and thought his eyes were a little red and I thought I smelled MJ on his breath. I was a little nervous because of it but didn't mention it.

I don't know if this topic has been raised before but my question is....

Would you be uncomfortable with someone doing complex and intricate work for you or on you if you knew the person used MJ? And while we're on the subject....what would you do if you were climbing into a cab and smelled weed on the driver's breath?

My take...I could care less as long as the person wasn't buzzed while doing the work for me or on me.

The first issue is, you can't really know. To say someone had red eyes, starts to plant a seed in your mind that they're high, and it's very easy to start imagining from there. Unless you saw him taking rips out of a Solo, there's no true way of telling.

Same thing with the cab driver. Unless you're kissing him, how would you know what his breath smells like? Maybe it's the stench from the last customer, "smell projection" or who knows what? What I would feel uncomfortable with is making an assumption about someone else, especially if it's a dentist standing over me with sharp tools.

Even on your own take, if it were the case, how would you know they are buzzed or not? What is being "buzzed" anyway? You mean they're toasted to where they can't perform their job? How would you know where that line is, until they had already performed the work?

Not trying to slam the question at all, but it contains the same type of assumptions that most vapers have been on the receiving end of, right?

But to answer the question theoretically, I would hope that people driving cabs or buses, pilots, doctors and dentists, firefighters and police officers would refrain from taking mind-altering substances while they're on the job. They guy stocking DVDs at Walmart, doesn't bother me if he's vaked.

 

[His_Highness]

@syrupy - It is a tough one on a non-theoretical basis for sure. As far as the dentist... inconclusive... even though the smell definitely emanated from his breath. There are other things that smell similar to MJ on someone's breath after enough time has passed between partaking and red eyes can be due to allergies. For example...some teas have a very similar smell.

BUT I wouldn't have to kiss the cabbie or the dentist to tell if they had just cumbusted within the last 15 minutes if they breathe in my direction because the smell intensifies as the breath comes my way. Unlike tea there's a burnt/smoke like undertone that hangs in there for a few minutes. That smell is unmistakable in the short term to someone like myself who has been gettin happy for 4 decades.

Definitely agree with your last paragraph.

@Joel W. You make a good point on whether the person's tolerance affects the ability to perform and as Syrupy mentioned ... how to tell before the performance....with some folks, it's easy to tell and with others, not so much. A buddy of mine's eyes get almost raccoon rimmed in red and he has some other tells BUT that doesn't mean he can't perform his job. It just means he isn't good at physically hiding the fact he's buzzed. I recently had the chance to hang with some great folks at a FC meet up and I can tell you that there was no mistaking the buzz or the need for industrial strength visine. Buzzed yes, impaired...not likely.

I was just curious how fellow FC'ers felt about this topic. I brought up the cab driver scenario because I think the question of driving high would get the opinion ball rolling. Maybe I should have posed the question differently...something along the lines of ... Would you be comfortable if YOU KNEW FOR SURE the cabbie was high?

 

[Joel W.]

When I was younger, one tiny hit and my parents knew instantly that I was high. Just from one quick look in my direction was all it took. lol. I was grounded a lot.

Now, my eyes just stay slightly glossy unless I really over do it into the red zone, which usually only happens at home, when I am safe to do so.

If I was to start a new job tomorrow, I would have to quit vaping during the day until I got into a solid rhythm and got really good and comfortable at whatever I was doing before I could vape again at work.

 

[syrupy]

It's a tricky situation. I agree COMBUSTION is so FUCKED you can smell it at some distance. As I consider, it would be difficult to judge without knowing the specifics. I do know some people that seem to drive as well or safer when a little buzzed. Maybe that cabbie is fighting cancer or something. Maybe it was a random thing he only did once. Why doesn't he use edibles or a tincture?

This kind of hits on the issue of which jobs should/could be drug tested. There are some givens, like police or airline pilots. But the line gets obscured pretty quickly. Guess it comes down to-- when does it matter?

 

[howie105]

I have done many things while stoned some of them involved others. With that in mind, I can't really bitch out when my turns comes up.

 

[Silver420Surfer]

How many people in the US take prescription medication that says "may cause drowsiness" or "do not operate machinery" and such?

How many people follow the label's instructions?

How come they can go about their business and life, yet demonize driving while on CANNABIS (I vow to capitalize that word until ya'll stop saying pot lol)?

Way more people on dangerous drugs driving than crazy, whacked out, CANNABIS, drivers.

The experts have already weighed in, and the diff between a CANNABIS user while medicated, and not medicated, gave very minimal different results. The test results are viewable here.
I know that's not the only one to show minute differences between medicated/not-medicated driving. But it's the only one I have bookmarked.

 

[His_Highness]

This kind of hits on the issue of which jobs should/could be drug tested. There are some givens, like police or airline pilots. But the line gets obscured pretty quickly. Guess it comes down to-- when does it matter?

Well said Syrupy! Quite the . Care must be taken or this could turn into a witch hunt and yet allowing each person to decide for themselves may not be sufficient.

@Silver420Surfer How's it going! Would love an update...hope the move is working out. Back to topic...Yeah..gotta agree about the 'he who is without sin throw the first stone' aspect here. I for one wouldn't be entitled to even pick up a grain of sand let alone a full sized stone Still...as the old saying goes...if so and so jumped off the bridge does that mean you're entitled to or should?

Wish we could employ 'the S.O./Child test'...first ask yourself if you would be comfortable in the situation at hand (Cabbie?) and then ask if you would be comfortable putting your significant other or child in that same situation. I often come up with a different answer.

 

[Silver420Surfer]

@Silver420Surfer How's it going! Would love an update...hope the move is working out.

Thanks for asking! I've had a small flurry of activity as of late, and am awaiting to hear back on a couple things. Looks like we're definitely pulling out of Florida though. Realtor comes next week to start the process.
If anyone needs a nice home in Pinellas county FL....I've already got the neighbors trained to not be bothered by a lingering vape-smells lol. Close to the beach(minutes).

I'll update my other thread soon. Appreciate the inquiry my man!

 

[gangababa]

Everyday this one, near seventy at the role, trusts my life into the hands of a drug user to love and guide me properly; to assist me crossing streets, driving freeways, communicating correctly, to attend to my medical-mental-emotional conditions, remind me, wake me, wash me, feed me, entertain, educate, enlighten, lighten, laugh, etc. At times my drug addled assistant has been a student, parent, single, married, employee, retiree, lover, philosopher, poet, partisan, practitioner of mysticism.

Altogether seemingly of a completely untrustworthy and shady character, drugs or no.
As far as I know this drug user has never made the wrong decision, even as some were indeed bad.
But it is true that no one ever knows if they made the best decision.

I have been the excellent-actor in this unscripted, improvisational walk-on role as ME, on the vastness of the cosmic stage, so to speak!

Ponder! perhaps that drug free super-straight upright Don Dentist in Dallas is dallying with a doll, now known to Nancy who is suing for more than half, and Don feels weighted by the world and wonders whether he will drill clear though your spine.

 

[Episode666]

I was grounded a lot.

 

[Jared]

If it was someone I trusted not high I would trust them high. IMO it has everything to do with the person and very little to do with cannabis.

 

[Bravesst]

40 Year Daily Smoker Here

Until vaping the concept of getting "stoned" was foreign to me (read my sig). Now that I vape, and pull so much more THC out, I actually can get high.

I've accomplished a lot of things while smoking (shit, everything I've ever done as an adult). I have high tolerance, and I can focus like a mother f'er when buzzed. I never get red eyes, or to a point anyone could tell I've imbibed (except for smell, but not with vaping). I have three drinks and I'm a mess.

But again, I wouldn't be comfortable with my surgeon being stoned. I know me, know my 40 years of experience, so I trust myself, but don't expect anyone else to. When I was on the FDNY, I never smoked or drank on duty, other than a few isolated incidents when I was really young and stupid, but I studied for, and took every promotional exam, while smoking daily (and always did really well).

I think those that cannot be high on the job should look at it as a T break, as a way to enjoy it more.

 

[4tokin]

If the occupation or tasks, carry any form of risk to others ,property or equipement keep it clean and straight.
If its stacking shelves answering stupid questions blaze away.
I do not partake while working or carrying out complex tasks mainly for safety reasons.

 

[Bravesst]

I love to study, build, create, and if the "risk" is only to me, I don't feel it's actually a risk (think using a power tool). I guess one day I could come across a strain that had the potential to get me wiped, and I couldn't work like that, but it hasn't happened yet. But, if there is the possibility of putting others at risk, I 100% agree - keep it clean.

 

[His_Highness]

Ever 'thought' you vaped or smoked so much that you vaped/smoked yourself straight? It's possible and I did it recently. Of course, once time passes you realize...nope, nope, nope....wasn't straight but sure thought I was. I was raised with guilt as a motivator as are many who were exposed to religion. If I inadvertently hurt someone bad when high I would spend forever beating myself up over it even if getting high wasn't the cause.

 

[justcametomind]

Would you go under surgery when the head surgeon is very stressed out, works 12 hours a day, is a cig smoker and craves another cigarette but there's you on his schedule? That's pretty much the norm.

 

[Farid]

Aren't we, by using cannabis, putting our lives in the hands of a cannabis user? The reality is, just by getting in a car and driving we are exposing our self to the risk of other drivers that could be impaired for a myriad of reasons - old age is a common one. Many of us have had to tell our own parents that they're no longer safe behind the wheel.

In the end we can't know/control what is going on in other people's head. How they react to a drug like cannabis is the same as how they react to a drug like coffee or tobacco. I know that as a non coffee/tobacco user, if I drank a coffee and smoked a cigarette I wouldn't be safe to drive for an hour. Since I use cannabis daily I feel confident that it does not impair my abilities to operate machinery, and if it did I would not drive. I stopped driving for six months because of a seizure, and I'm certainly not going to give up driving because of cannabis. The risk from cannabis "impairment" such a small risk compared to the risk of having a seizure while driving. Hell, the anti epileptic drug I'm on impairs my hand eye coordination far more than cannabis, and my Dr. and the RMV say that it's no problem to drive when I'm on it.

EDIT: I'm still against toking while driving. It's too much of a distraction, plus it's so easy to pull over somewhere safe if need be.

 

[max]

Is mj the worst we have to worry about, when it comes to people doing tasks that require a clear mind? Sure there are other 'street drugs' you have to be concerned about, but statistically speaking, I'd say that legal, prescribed drugs are the ones that should worry us. Lots of people are on multiple drugs on a daily basis, and many of them have a significant effect, mentally and/or physically. Lots of people don't take medication as prescribed, and even if they do, there's no way to predict how a particular person will be affected, since everyone's body chemistry is different. Driving under the influence these days covers a much wider territory. It's no longer just the drunk drivers you have to watch out for.

This reminded me of the time I went to my dentist and thought his eyes were a little red and I thought I smelled MJ on his breath.

Your dentist may require his employees to be drug tested before and during their employment, but what about his test?

 

[His_Highness]

@max - You make a good point.

I heard this one in the car the other day.....Medical Malpractice Deaths Nine Times Higher Than Gun Homicides.

 

[max]

@max - You make a good point.

I heard this one in the car the other day.....Medical Malpractice Deaths Nine Times Higher Than Gun Homicides.

That's a whole (scary) topic in itself, along with medical mistakes by doctors and hospitals being the 3rd leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. The 'cure' really can be worse than the disease.

Here's another related topic I've always found amazing- you go to an emergency room for life saving assistance, and you get a doc who's been on duty for 24 hours straight (or longer). I've done the marathon work thing, and fatigue gets to you both physically and mentally, to the point where your ability and even your attitude is negatively affected.

 

[ragnorokk]

In another thread someone mentioned being concerned about registering for medical use because they are in a profession where they believe that info could harm their career. This reminded me of the time I went to my dentist and thought his eyes were a little red and I thought I smelled MJ on his breath. I was a little nervous because of it but didn't mention it.

I don't know if this topic has been raised before but my question is....

Would you be uncomfortable with someone doing complex and intricate work for you or on you if you knew the person used MJ? And while we're on the subject....what would you do if you were climbing into a cab and smelled weed on the driver's breath?

My take...I could care less as long as the person wasn't buzzed while doing the work for me or on me.

Psssst... Everybody does it...
In most places, you're putting your life in the hands of stoners EVERY DAY, whether you realize it or not. Lol! How many of those nurses @ the ER do you think smoke? The ones I know sure do! Same with the EMT's I know. Same with all the people I know who commute. Shit, if you live here in LA, you're stuck on the freeway with someone who's lighting up RIGHT NOW. And I'll take a stoned doc over a sick one. The last ER doc I saw was more ill than I was

 

[farscaper]

at least your dr didnt walk in with a cigar and a glass of gin after eating a huge tbone steak and huffing and puffing up a single staircase. There was a time when smoking was ok and alcohol everyday was common place... hell... he might be an alcoholic....

id rather vape a bowl with my dr before a checkup just to really get to know them. im always uneasy around doctors cause I dont want them to confront me about my habits. if I knew mine vapes or smoked for that matter... I wouldnt have any fear talking about my cannabis use... I might try to convince them to vape if they smoked... for their health lol.

 

[little maggie]

To me there's a difference between someone who smokes and someone who is stoned on the job. Yes doctors or dentists or others who work "on" people may be highly stressed and impaired by long hours and too many patients. We know there's a high degree of substance use by doctors- usually pills they can prescribe. Even with all that, I would prefer a doctor or surgeon etc who is as clear headed as possible. Which means not stoned or on drugs or alcohol when they are working with me regardless of how they view their ability to function.