Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with drug

Drug test questions

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:11:32 -0800

I have a question about being hired as a contractor for the Department of Justice and having to take a drug test. I applied for an entry-level position at the US Attorney's office in my city. I was brought in for an interview, and before it started I sat down with a woman from HR. She explained that if I were hired it would be as a contractor and not as a federal employee, which meant that my benefits would be provided by an outside company. She told me that I would have to get a security waiver, which meant a background investigation. She told me, without being asked, that there would be no drug test. I was glad to hear that, since I use marijuana most days.

The next day she called and said that they were offering me the job and I could start once my security waiver went through. They sent me forms to fill out. One of the questions on the form asked whether I have used any illegal drugs in the past 7 years, and I answered no. I submitted the form and went in for fingerprinting. They told me it would be a couple of weeks before it went through and then I could start.

Today I got a phone call from someone at USIS/Labat-Anderson, whom I recall the HR person saying would be the company providing my benefits, but with whom I had had no contact so far. The guy on the phone told me that he'd sent me something in the mail I'd have to sign and fax back to him. The package I received contained USIS/Labat-Anderson's substance abuse policy and a memo stating that the substance abuse policy was "referenced in the conditional offer letter of employment that you have received. As you acknowledged by signing your conditional offer, all applicants for employment with USIS are subject to pre-employment drug screening." The memo also says that I will have to take the drug test within 48 hours of receiving the notice. The aforementioned offer of employment, which I had never seen before, was also in the package.

Here's what I'd like to hear from anyone who has actual experience here:

1) Is there any way to salvage this job opportunity?
2) If not, how should I proceed?
3) Would failing the drug test mean more than just not being offered the job? Would it mean e.g. I would face penalties for lying on the security form?

Photography - on drugs?

infinitefloatingbrains — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:22:42 -0800

Legality of photographing a controlled substance? (you're not my lawyer)

A photographer I work with is producing a shoot involving marijuana. As this is for a promotional piece, photo credits are pretty much required.

Partly inspired by this story that recently appeared on Metafilter. That photo essay was more journalistic, and there was no discussion of Young's legal exposure.

After some searching I haven't been able to find much. Yes, High Times is sold on the newsstand but it seems most of the drug photos are published under a pseudonym, and yes, there are photos of marijuana being sold on stock photo sites (usually uncredited).

My main question is - are there any legal implications to be associated with the creation of photos (still life - no people) of a controlled substance? I'm not asking about any kind of possession-related charges - just a name on a photograph.

Thanks!

Am I considered a stoner if I eat hemp seed?

torquemaniac — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:02:31 -0800

If I consume dietary hemp seed, will the THC show up on a drug test? I bought some Canadian hemp seed on Amazon.com to add to the mash diet I prepare for my parrots. I've been dipping into the mash occasionally as it is an excellent source of nutrition (and complete protein) & is quite delicious to boot. Is there a chance that I could fail a drug test the same way poppy seeds on a bagel could fail you? If so, is there any rational response to a failed drug test that would convince an employer that it's a fluke (I have a five pound bag of the stuff I could use for proof)?

"He took too much LSD in the '60s".

bunky — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:42:26 -0800

"He took too much LSD in the '60s". No, really. Any number of Americans approaching old age are doing so with long-term illegal drug habits. If you've seen the Osbournes on TV, Ozzy seems the picture of the sort of cognitive impairment you can expect someone to have after years of illegal drug use. Is this typical of such a person? Can someone be rendered mentally incompetent by means of a history of long-term illegal drug use? Would someone with obvious cognative impairment like Ozzy still be considered legally competant?

Help me remember the name of this horror/sci-fi movie from my childhood (circa 1991).

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:16:40 -0800

I am trying to figure out the name of a horror/sci-fi movie from my childhood. It's a movie where a guy wakes up one day and he has a little alien slug/worm that lives on the back of his neck and talks to him. The alien has drilled a hole in the back of his neck and now injects a powerful narcotic/hallucinogen directly into his brain and controls the guy's life. Nobody knows about the alien slug, and at the end of the movie, he squeezes the alien slug to death and it administers a lethal dose to him, and his head blows up. Name that movie! As I'm older I realize it was a metaphor for drug addiction... and frequently try and explain the plot of the movie to people as best as I can remember. It was probably released around 1991. It may have gone straight to DVD or cable. TIA

Unplanned Intervention over. Now what?

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:46:40 -0800

Unplanned Intervention over. Now what? Over the weekend I participated in an improptu intervention in my mom's hospital room. There have been ongoing issues with her for about 20 years or so for depression and meds, and after an on the job injury over a year ago and subsequent back surgery she is pretty much hooked on pain pills. According to her she tried to quit and ended up in the hospital after puking for several days. She's been battling with pills (pain, antidepressants) since I was a child, and I don't have a lot of sympathy for her anymore. I can't trust her. She says she wants help, and the social worker that showed up in the middle of the intervention said that was a good thing, but what she says and does are usually not the same. In her purse we found large bottles of oxycontin, vicoden, percoset, norco, and some other stuff. All her perscriptions. Don't know if it was all the same doctor or not.

My brother is trying to drag me into dealing with this, but to be honest (this is really sad) I don't care. She has burned me and played me and my family against each other for too long. In my mind if she knows that I am done that should help her come around. My wife disagrees.

So now we have to move forward. She was discharged yesterday and I think was sent home (with more norco. Thanks DOC!). My brother thinks they only away she is going to get help is an inpatient rehab, but we have no idea how that works/costs (social worker said insurance will not cover). He wants to help her find a place, but I think (and the social worker agrees) that SHE has to make the calls and get in somewhere. We cannot do this for her.

Here's the catch and the reason this is anon: She is a liscensed nurse in the state of California. I do not want to see her hurt someone on the job, but she needs to get clean and I want her to be able to work after she does. There is some discussion of her losing her liscense over this, even though she has been on disability for over a year becuase of the back damage. She is supposed to return to work next month.

So here are my questions. Any and all advice is welcome:

What does Rehab cost? Outpatient/Inpatient?
Will outpatient rehab work?
Is my hands off attitude going to help or hinder?
Will she lose her liscense?
Someone had mentioned support for addicted nurses programs, but I can't seem to find any on the web. Anyone heard of this?

Throwaway email: momneedshope@gmail.com

What other substances might show up in a blood test for valproic acid levels?

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:17:02 -0800

What other substances might show up in a blood test for valproic acid levels? Asking for a friend:

Twenty-something female has been epileptic since she was a kid, and taking Depakote to control seizures. Her doctor ordered a fairly routine blood test to check for valproic acid levels, but since her last round of blood tests, she's gotten into the habit of smoking marijuana. She probably gets high once a week, on average, but sometimes more often. The lab order is written for a "Valproic Acid Level Test."

So on to the question: Is there any way to know whether her blood test for valproic acid might reflect her marijuana use? And if it does show up in a blood test, are there any legal repercussions? It seems like a valproic acid levels test shouldn't be looking for any other substances, and my instinct is that even if she tested positive for pot somehow, the doctor would just counsel her on the risks of drug use, but she'd like to know for sure.

Just FYI, she hasn't taken the blood test yet, but needs to schedule it in the next week or so.

Throwaway email at epilepsy.and.pot@gmail.com if there are any follow-up questions.

Finding a Video Game from My Past

xdeliriumx — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:33:04 -0800

Find This Video Game Filter: Arcade machine, may not exist on a console, reminiscent of Pitfall with better graphics, approximately 12-15 years ago, played it at a local drugstore. More Details inside. Please help a video game guy! I am trying to locate a video game and I will outline everything I can possibly remember about it.

-It was an arcade cabinet
-The setting reminds me of Pitfall (looking back now) but it had much better graphics I would say maybe SNES or Genesis type graphics (thought I have never seen it on a console). Definitely NOT Pitfall or Pitfall 2. You were a guy going through a jungleish setting. I remember you could swing on vines and I remember you could go through a top path or a bottom path. I also remember there being bats.
-I THINK it was 12-15 years ago
-The exact machine I played was at a drug store in Williamsport, PA. (In Giant Plaza) The drugstore is not there anymore, I think it might have been a Rite Aid or maybe not a chain drugstore. (Here is the exact location - The Giant Plaza)

I realize that probably the only thing to work off of here is the description of the game and maybe the time period but this has been driving me crazy as an avid video game player. Please help me Hive!

P.S. If you think of anything else that could be assistance let me know and I will try to help.

No reaction from drugs or booze

Anonymous — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:52:58 -0800

I have enjoyed recreational drugs for many years. Loved coke. Enjoyed grass. Had great results from speed,percocet,demerol. This was in my thirties. I had no problems with the drugs. Now I am in my 60's and on anti-depressants (that work) My question: Now I get no reaction whatsoever from coke,grass,booze or E. Anybody know what's up with my chemistry?

is my potential housemate a drug dealer?

I like to eat meat — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:18:36 -0800

how can i determine if a potential housemate is a drug dealer? My friends and I found a potential roommate on Craigslist who seems really cool, but we we're worried that he may be a drug dealer - he claims to have "saved up a bunch of money" before coming here from some sort of freelance computer repair job, but I'm skeptical that anyone can make that much doing that, and he also works at a drug advocacy group of some kind. Not damning, but definitely enough to give me pause. I'm not morally opposed to drugs or anything, just worried about something crazy happening at the house.

Anyone have any good ideas on warning signs, or experience about whether his explanation for having all this money is plausible, or anything that we can ask him for as evidence one way or the other?

Would it be weird to just directly ask him? We really want to get this house and the pickings for housemates looks a bit slim, so I'm just seeing what the internets think (and also because I'm a little curious)

I know this is kind of a ridiculous question, so hilarious snark appreciated as well.

What's a good downer?

miles1972 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:03:39 -0800

What's the modern equivalent of Seconal? I need to know for a play I'm working on. One of the characters uses Seconal, recreationally as a downer.

What would he use today?

Will these totally legal drugs keep me from getting the job?

croutonsupafreak — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:31:54 -0800

I may have to take a pre-employment drug test very soon, and I'm worried about whether the totally legal and authorized stimulants I'm taking are going to keep me from getting hired. Are my worries reasonable, and if so is there anything I should do to protect myself? I've got to either accept or reject a job offer on Monday. If I accept it, I suspect that I'll be asked to go pee in a vial somewhere within 24 hours of saying "yes." I've always passed these tests in the past, but I'm worried because of my totally legal recent pill use.

I have a prescription for Vyvanse, an ADHD-treating amphetamine, and I take these pills five days a week to function at work. I hadn't been diagnosed and prescribed anything last time I started a new job. I took my last Vyvanse pill on Friday, and plan on taking another tomorrow morning before I head to the office.

I'm also sick right now, and this morning I took some Sudafed (the controlled substance kind that you have to show ID for). If I'm still feeling this crummy in the morning, I'm planning to take another so that I can be a functioning worker bee instead of a mess of hacking phlegm.

Should I skip these pills tomorrow as a precaution? Should I mention them when I go in for drug testing? Are my worries unfounded?

Successful drug users

FusiveResonance — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:49:57 -0800

Name Some Names: Successful drug users... I am looking for names of successful individuals who have used drugs.

This question spawns from a research question: "What percentage of musicians use drugs?" If you can answer that, that too would be great.

P.S - Please discount alcohol as a drug for this question. Please do not count chocolate and caffeine as drugs either. Please refrain from lecturing me on the effects of drugs. I am not interested in any of this; simply interested in successful drug users.

Drug Disposal

sandraregina — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:46:35 -0800

I know that when medicine expires or is no longer needed, the best way to dispose of it is to take it to a local pharmacy with a disposal program and hand it off to them to take care of it. But that gets me to wondering - then what? How do pharmacies dispose of unwanted or expired medication? I can't see the little pharmacy in the local strip mall having an incinerator, for example (though hey, they might). Does it go to a medical waste disposal company? What about medications that fall on the floor, or get mixed up, or never picked up at the counter? What kind of tracking systems are in place to ensure the pharmacists don't sweep a couple pills under their shirt when counting them and walk out and sell them? Especially if its already been logged as 'disposed of' (or however its tracked)?

This isn't for any particular, pressing need. I'm just curious. Can anyone shed some light on what happens after I take my meds to the pharmacy to be disposed?

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long?

bostonhill — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:15:54 -0800

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long? Will Marijuana be taken off the drug testing roster?

Will this drug kill my cat?

Braeog — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:20:22 -0800

Will the drug that my vet prescribed kill my cat? It's unapproved for use in the US. I have a cat that was prescribed Metacam 1.5 mg/mL oral suspension for post surgery pain after three tooth extractions. I've been reading online that Metacam in oral suspension is not approved for use in cats. I've read a lot of horror stories, and some studies saying it might not be safe for cats, notably in this dosage. Does anyone have any experience with this drug with their cats, or any evidence to support or alleviate these concerns?

There has been no blood work done to determine if there are any preexisting kidney issues, which the manufacturer's website warns against. The cats were adopted a year ago when they were about 6, so there's a fair bit of history unknown, though there have been no visible symptoms of kidney issues apparent.

Side effect may include braintooth

adamrice — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:40:50 -0800

I have noticed that TV ads for prescription drugs that feature actors directly addressing you always (?) have the voice track lip-synched. The audio is obviously different from what would have been recorded originally, and this seems to be consistent. Why is this? A friend suggested this somehow avoids some FDA regulation about endorsing drugs. This is in the USA.

Legal Mushrooms?

thedoctorpants — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:25:47 -0800

Magic Mushrooms? I live in Europe. I want to have a legal mushroom experience with my wife. What countries are magic mushrooms still legal?

Name that drug

mpls2 — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:48:19 -0800

Name that drug. I remember reading an article about a drug that some consider the most powerful/potent/psychedelic in the world. There was an accompanying YouTube video that showed a few (Dutch?) guys under the influence in someone's apartment. They were doing some crazy stuff, but I can't remember what exactly. Maybe acting like animals or something.

Can anyone help me out on the name? Thanks!

Levaquin side-effects

mrunderhill — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:29:54 -0800

How worried should I be about the side effects of this medicine? I went to a walk-in clinic yesterday where the doctor prescribed me 7 doses of Levaquin, an anti-biotic. Today I came across this site which is a little unnerving.

from the page:
"I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. I took it for 9 days. I could not sleep but worse than that I got pain in my knees."

"My heart was racing, my eyes wouldnt stay closed, my ears were ringing all night. I am NOT taking this medication any more, and personally i would recomend the FDA take this pill off the market."

I don't have any drug allergies that I know of. It was a short consultation and the doctor didn't really educate me about the drug.. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and have a hard time staying rational when reading about malaise.

Do most drugs have negative reviews like this?
Will I be fine? So far I haven't noticed anything abnormal, but I've only taken one dose.

Thanks!

Help me understand jargon in "The Wire"

gwenzel — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:39:46 -0800

Where online can I find a list of vocabulary from "The Wire" and some plain-language definitions? Thanks to Metafilter, I've discovered HBO's "The Wire". Of course, I discover the show after five seasons have aired, but that just means I've got some DVDs to rent and some catching up to do.

I'm having a hard time deciphering the jargon used in the show, though. Having grown up in the Canadian suburbs, I never had much exposure to drug lingo. I can usually figure out the meanings of words via context, but not always...

There's gotta be a druglord on MeFi that can help out here...

Looking for anti-drug messages in kids' games.

jackypaper — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:51:20 -0800

Where on the Web do I find anti-drug activities (word games, art, crafts, specifically addressing drug use) for kids ages 9-12? My Google-Fu seems to be failing me. Thanks!

What are the legal ramifications for the crew members of A&E's Intervention?

nitsuj — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:33:41 -0800

What are the legal ramifications for the crew members (camerapeople, producers, etc.) of a show like Intervention when the "stars" do illegal things? A&E's awesome show Intervention is typically filled with footage of people taking drugs, driving under the influence, and doing other illegal things like prostitution. Can the people witnessing, filming, and/or being in the presence of these illegal acts be held liable for anything?

If a cop walks on in two guys with cameras filming someone shooting drugs into his arm, surely they're not just going to walk away because they're filming a popular TV show. How does the law work in this situation?

This question popped into my head as I was watching a recent episode where one of the addicts solicited a prostitute, told her the crew was paying, and then didn't have any money to pay. He could have been killed for it, and the pimp stole all his shit, right in front of the crew.

How to not be treated like a criminal at a pharmacy

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:04:55 -0800

My pharmacy screwed up on my Xanax prescription, and I'm afraid they're going to hassle me for what might appear to be drug seeking behavior. I'm on some heavy meds for my ADHD, Adderall XR plus Xanax and Ambien for its side effects. Please don't give me grief about the medication, I'm very aware of the risks and work closely with my doctor to make sure that I'm not headed for trouble.

This month my regular pharmacy was out of the Adderall, so I took my prescriptions to another (different chain) that I've only been to once before. The problem is that when I got home I counted the pills and the Xanax bottle contained 40 instead of 45. I called the pharmacy and they told me to bring in the bottle tomorrow to get things straightened out.

Now, I know that the new prescriptions and scheduled drugs involved are going to raise some red flags. But I also know that I use the meds completely legitimately and they should straighten out their mistake. Am I likely to be hassled/disbelieved/black marked in their database?

If it's at all pertinent, our state has no central DB for them to look up my history, and I've had a long term relationship with my doc who knows I'm not out to get high.

Thanks a bunch!

Human cost of the drug war?

Riki tiki — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:13:09 -0800

Approximately how many people are in prison and/or dead (or not) because of the drug war? This is more complicated than the FP text would suggest. Google-fu provided me with tons of statistics about the number of people in prison for drug-related charges, etc. However, some percentage of those people would presumably be in prison for other offenses if drugs were legal, right? Sure, dealers would be doing fewer drive-bys without a lucrative illegal market to fight over, but not all of them would have exactly become doctors or lawyers otherwise.

So I guess my question is, has anyone ever come up with an estimated human cost of the drug war, compared to a statistically-suggested U.S. in which drugs are legal? In other words, the result would take the form "7,000,000 more people are in prison than would probably have been otherwise. [source]" If not, how would one go about creating such an estimate and giving it some legitimacy?

Please, no chatfilter. This isn't hypothetical, it's for a personal project of mine. I'm trying to visually express the consequences of the drug war in ways that can't be dismissed as hyperbole, and this is part of one of them.