Company drug testing

asteroidbreeze

I'll be starting work in an IT company in Dublin in September.

In the mean time, I'll be heading to Amsterdam. I was wondering do many companies drug test and what is the legal stance here (in Ireland) with regard to having had a few joints/moon cakes on account of them being legal in Amsterdam.

I know they're strict on it in America but would anyone know the story here? It'd be awful to loose a good job because of having tried something over there but if there's no risk then it'd be a shame to pass up the opportunity in Amsterdam...

smithy1981

If your that worried why don't you try something from this site http://www.passyourdrugtest.com Cant vouch for any of the products myself tho.

LegacyUser

would not trust any of them drug test equipment, i have gone off drugs a few times for new job/company drug tests(even if when not sure if they do test for substance abuse)

also gone off the drugs and ended up getting no tests, but did not regret giving up at all!!! - the break was nice, and proving i could quit whenever i wanted to myself was also a positive!

and its nice to feel clean once in a while!

i would not take the risk if i was you!

other advice ive been given, and taken:
cranberry juice, lots of exercise, avoid getting absolutely hammered

the_syco

I'd be interested in this as well, as, well, you won't be breaking the law by having it over in the dam...

B0X

the_syco wrote:

I'd be interested in this as well, as, well, you won't be breaking the law by having it over in the dam...

Isn't it only legal for Dutch nationals?

Victor

The company (presumably) doesn't want drug users - they don't care where you used the drug.

I would be careful regarding bland statements that drugs are legal in Amsterdam. Less criminal doesn't necessarily mean legal.

paulie.walnuts

I would give it a miss while you're away I'm surprised you even have to ask.
Do you really think that if you fail that the info that you're a drug user stays there and no other company or recruitment agency will see/hear about it?
No way I would employ a drug user regardless of whether it is legal or not in some other country. BTW, do you care that your use of drugs is what is fuelling the gangland murders so prevalent at the moment?

calex71

theres more to do in amsterdam than getting off your face, if you cared so much about the job you'd stick to beers and sight seeing

Leeby

paulie.walnuts wrote:

BTW, do you care that your use of drugs is what is fuelling the gangland murders so prevalent at the moment?

By having a bit of weed in Amsterdam?

The last time I was in Amsterdam was just a week before starting a new job, never occured to me that it mightn't be a good idea. Do companies really do drug tests? I thought that was an American thing?

Electric

I believe that random drug testing is provided for under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. As it comes under health and safety legislation (which employers take very seriously!) then they could possibly use a positive drugs test as a means of dismissing you.

No employer is going to take the chance of keeping someone on who has given a positive test. If they injured someone in work, then the employers would be so liable for damages it wouldn't be funny.

Personally I'd skip it. It can stay in your system for at test a month after, you might think your clean but still return a positive sample. Not the risk imo.

Talliesin

B0X wrote:

Isn't it only legal for Dutch nationals?

It's illegal for everyone. The Dutch police have a policy decision of not prosecuting in certain cases (the famous coffee shops), it's not actually legal so you don't have any sort of claim to not having done anything illegal.

Legality doesn't affect arguments they may have as to how it may affect your ability to do your job (and it doesn't matter if those arguments hold water or not).

LegacyUser

paulie.walnuts wrote:

BTW, do you care that your use of drugs is what is fuelling the gangland murders so prevalent at the moment?

Good work there Paulie, now that the OP has been exposed we can finally close the book on just about every unsolved murder in western europe..

OP - Wouldnt chance the passyourdrugtest stuff but I'd guess that if you combine it with plenty of water in the days prior to your medical (combined with the possibility that they're not testing for substance abuse) ya might be ok.

patrickolee

Work in IT too... have only ever had two tests. Most companies don't bother. But is it really that hard to abstain? For your piece of mind, just don't. Have a few pints instead.

ScumLord

I didn't think we had sank to random drug tests in this country. I can tell you from first hand experience that drinking 3-4 litres in the hours leading up to the test will get you through. I wouldn't pass up an oportunity to live and experience Amsterdam to it's full.

BTW, do you care that your use of drugs is what is fuelling the gangland murders so prevalent at the moment?

:rolleyes:

ntlbell

IIRC they test for addicitve substances. not the herb.

but I'm open to be corrected.

LegacyUser

'

the_syco wrote:

I'd be interested in this as well, as, well, you won't be breaking the law by having it over in the dam...

Careful now!

As an Irish citizen you are subject to Irish law WORLDWIDE. Even if you do something that is perfectly legal in the foreign nation you can still be prosecuted upon return home under Irish law (also note cannabis is not "legal" in Amsterdam, merely decrimilised).

Blame Nazi Mcdowell, he changed the law a couple of years ago.'

gamblor101

If the drug test is part of the recruitment process then they will not hire you if it comes back positive unless you are the only person in the world that can do something they need.
If you are already an employee (and there is no hidden agenda on their part to get rid of you) and you admit before the test to having taken drugs recently and you test positive, then they may ask you to go on some kind of drug awareness/ rehab course. Then a second positive after that will almost certainly mean a sacking.

TheDriver

I agree with Cop On, if your worried about it then drink some more and leave the weed out of it.

Bottle_of_Smoke

I think if you eat perfectly legal hemp seeds you show up positive. Start endorsing them

Mikros

Electric wrote:

I believe that random drug testing is provided for under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. As it comes under health and safety legislation (which employers take very seriously!) then they could possibly use a positive drugs test as a means of dismissing you.

Just to clear that up, yeah its in that Act, however it has to be prescribed by the Minister before it can be implemeneted, which hasn't been done to date. So they can't do random drug tests for that reason yet.

BrandonBlock

I wouldn't worry too much about it, a friend of mine got a graduate position in [Edit] 1 of the biggest banks in Ireland [/Edit] , and was out doing loads of cocaine the weekend before he started. Passed no probs.

Limerick91

OK 2 things

First drug testing, if you have signed your contract and there is no mention of drug testing in the contract nobody can make you do a drugs test. That would be changing the conditions of your employment.

Secondly, one of the common methods of drug testing is by taking a hair sample. Get a number one all over when you get home

Persius

kjhkjhjkyt7t wrote:

'
Careful now!

As an Irish citizen you are subject to Irish law WORLDWIDE. Even if you do something that is perfectly legal in the foreign nation you can still be prosecuted upon return home under Irish law (also note cannabis is not "legal" in Amsterdam, merely decrimilised).

Blame Nazi Mcdowell, he changed the law a couple of years ago.'

Where did you get this from?
I know some states have passed specific laws that have extra-territorial validity in an effort to stamp out on child sexual abuse. E.g. Swedish citizens/residents can be prosecuted in Sweden for having sex with a minor in any country in the world. However I very strongly doubt that Ireland (or any democratic country) has passed such blanket legislation claiming domestic law is valid worldwide.

Care to back up your statement with a reference?

Victor

Unreg140907 wrote:

OP - Wouldnt chance the passyourdrugtest stuff but I'd guess that if you combine it with plenty of water in the days prior to your medical ..... ya might be ok.

The water thing doesn't work, because they can adjust for the excess water in your urine (assuming a urine test).

youcancallmeal adf

paulie.walnuts wrote:

I would give it a miss while you're away I'm surprised you even have to ask.
Do you really think that if you fail that the info that you're a drug user stays there and no other company or recruitment agency will see/hear about it?
No way I would employ a drug user regardless of whether it is legal or not in some other country. BTW, do you care that your use of drugs is what is fuelling the gangland murders so prevalent at the moment?

What? If they are on coke or something then yeah sure don't hire them because they could cause problems for your work place. If they smoke marijuana its not going to cause any problems for you or your company.
I know people who smoke regularly and it doesn't really seem to effect them as people. I smoked the day before a test I hadn't studied for... and hey look at that I do pretty well...
*sigh* don't talk about drugs like its a simple "drugs are bad m'kay" it makes you sound like an idiot.
All you contribute towards is an idea in young peoples' heads that the anti drugs crowd haven't got a ****ing clue.

Pat the Baker

BrandonBlock wrote:

I wouldn't worry too much about it, a friend of mine got a graduate position in [Edit] 1 of the biggest banks in Ireland [/Edit] , and was out doing loads of cocaine the weekend before he started. Passed no probs.

Coke or heroin leaves the body in a day or so where hash would take weeks.

vandermeyde

youcancallmeal wrote:

What? If they are on coke or something then yeah sure don't hire them because they could cause problems for your work place. If they smoke marijuana its not going to cause any problems for you or your company.
I know people who smoke regularly and it doesn't really seem to effect them as people. I smoked the day before a test I hadn't studied for... and hey look at that I do pretty well...
*sigh* don't talk about drugs like its a simple "drugs are bad m'kay" it makes you sound like an idiot.
All you contribute towards is an idea in young peoples' heads that the anti drugs crowd haven't got a ****ing clue.

if you're an employer up on a corporate manslaughter charge because one of your employees operating machinery caused an accident and had traces of hash in their system you'd be pretty upset and it would be a problem so thats a naive post at best.

LegacyUser

vandermeyde wrote:

if you're an employer up on a corporate manslaughter charge because one of your employees operating machinery caused an accident and had traces of hash in their system you'd be pretty upset and it would be a problem so thats a naive post at best.

Please read the thread, the OP is starting an IT job. This is not a life or death issue or a legal issue related to a corporate manslaughter charge, or anything equally dramatic.

ceidefields

First of all, if it's an American company, chances are they will drug test. And also if it's an American company, they don't care whether it's legal or not in Amsterdam, Ireland, Kenya or any other damn place. They won't employ you. Legal or not has nothing to do with it.

Also the hemp seeds thing is totally bogus - that is an urban legend. What would you do, bring the company to court on the basis that you eat hemp seeds regularly?

I wouldn't take the chance personally. It can stay in your system for weeks.