Adderall - The New Recreational Drug Of Choice?

The Office Employees
1

I wanted to write in informing the group of a serious potential problem you may run into with your employees. I was completely blind to the warning signs and even to the in-passing mention of a drug called “Adderall”. From what I have been told by other employees during some end of the year sit down interviews is that one of my crew leaders (who has quit in the last couple weeks) was taking this drug recreationally (which he acquired illegally) and offering them to other employees. This has come to my attention after the employee quit and wish now that I had been aware of this problem and handled it before it could have been an even bigger problem. The employees who brought this situation to light have suggested a system in place for handling situations like this one in the future. According to 1 employee (this crew leaders crew member) this drug has been described as extremely easy to come by, cheap and is becoming THE recreational drug of choice.
Fortunately, this situation worked itself out when he quit and has not effected any employees. This is not a drug you want within your employee ranks if it is not prescribed and they are not under a doctors supervision.

For some info on this drug (Adderall), a list of warning signs and side effects google search “Adderall” or visit PubMed Health - Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine.

Also, does anyone have systems in place for such situations? Systems that would make other employees feel more comfortable coming forward about this sort of thing?

2

First off, a disclaimer… I do not do any drugs at all… I mean to the point that I have to be half dead from the flu to even take NyQuil. Unfortunately, due to a lot of “friends” that do use drugs, I know whats going on.

Adderal was big around here in the late 90’s / early 00’s. I haven’t heard much about it in a long time. But then again, the recreational drug of choice seems to vary from region to region. For example, crystal meth is a huge problem out west, but you don’t see it as much as say heroin or painkiller abuse around these parts.

Which is the big issue I face with hiring anyone… painkillers. Its becoming a scourge out here. The horrible part is that acquiring painkillers / opiates is apparently very expensive, and when the money runs dry and the addiction is still there, people turn to (much cheaper) heroin.
From personal observation, I find that these two addictions lead to a lot of bad things, I.E. thievery, shadyness, loss of trust, and when heroin is involved, pretty much the loss of civility and life.

I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to these, or any drugs. Don’t get me wrong, there are “grades” of drugs… for example, i’m not going to freak out if someone smokes a doobie on their day off. As long as you don’t show up on my job site to represent me while high on pot, do whatchya gotta do. But other drugs, well, I’m not about to have a customer call me up saying they’re missing something valuable, or have someone who’s fiending fall off a ladder or something.

As far as a system to handle the situation though, there’s a fine line between being an employer and being a “cop”. You can’t feasibly go around constantly drug testing your employees, or expect them to be “narcs” without completely destroying staff morale. Considering the story came out with your former supervisor, maybe you can enact a Zero Tolerance policy of your own. Something along the lines of anyone suspected of using illegal drugs while on the job will be immediately terminated, and have each employee sign a paper that states this and exonerates you from any wrongful termination suits that may rise.

3

We have a 0 tolerance policy regarding drugs and criminal history. We drug test new hires and do a criminal background check. We also do random drug tests.

4

my brother has a prescription of adderall for his ADD. he says it helps him focus and get things done when he needs to. there is not really any side effects and he takes them when he works for me. this drug doesnt get you high, it makes you focus to get work done. i know alot of college kids take them during finals and when they have lots of homework to help them focus.

by the way i am not supporting this and dont do drugs either

5

Prescription is another story altogether. I have a friend with Sciatica (spelling?) who takes Rx opiates and she hates having to do so and uses them sparingly and by the book. Then again i have another friend who broke his back and has a Rx for painkillers, and he uses that as an excuse to abuse.

6

A prescription is something different all together. A doctor monitors a patient when you start suffering from the side effects a doctor is there to readjust the dosage. When taken and not prescribed by a doctor and over taking it results in the side effects. EVERY side effect mentioned was something I saw on a daily basis. The kid is going to end up in rehab. I considered us to be friends, but he knows my stand on stuff like this and obviously didn’t want to bring it to my attention or even sees it as a problem. I am glad he isn’t my problem anymore.