County in Florida Makes Tobacco Use Illegal

[simnettpratt]

Flagler County commissioners are taking a tough new stance against tobacco users looking for work – by considering nicotine a banned drug.
Beginning Oct. 1, prospective county employees will be required to take a nicotine test in addition to pre-employment drug screening for illegal drugs.
A failed test would not only deny an otherwise qualified applicant a job, but would also prohibit employment with the county for another 12 months. Nicotine, whether in smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes or regular cigarettes, would be considered a drug by county officials.
“The tobacco ban applies to anything that would produce nicotine,” said Joseph Mayer, Flagler County’s community services director. That includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, pipes and snuff.
Job applicants also must sign an affidavit stating, under penalty of perjury, that they have not used tobacco within one-year of employment.“It’s the same thing as drug use,” Mayer said. “We have a drug-free policy where everyone is tested for drug use before they come on board, and if they start using afterwards we won’t know until either a random test or a workers compensation incident.”
Flagler’s 635 current employees are exempt from the new tobacco policy, which was unanimously passed by the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19.
When asked if the new tobacco ban would apply to the county commissioners, Mayer responded in an email, “As such, the policy does not apply to our County Commission or those individuals who may run for office in the future.”

 

[hfearly]

“The tobacco ban applies to anything that would produce nicotine,” said Joseph Mayer, Flagler County’s community services director. That includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, pipes and snuff.

Also tons of vegetables, like Eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, or deserts with the physalis fruit. So better NOT eat for a week before you go to a screening ....
While we are at it, we should definitely put a fine on breathing air, after all whenever you exhale you produce CO2, which is not only known to cause death, but also to increase global warming (being a greenhouse gas and all). Yes, that's right. Just look at the perfectly healthy person sitting next to you. They are breathing deadly gases into your face and destroying the earth! Should give them a piece of our mind and put them all in jail...

 

[phred]

(Head/desk)
Gotta love the busybodies who run for public office these days.

 

[judcole]

busybodies who run for public office these days

This is not new.

 

[haroldt]

This makes my blood boil. Do they not have better things to do? What business is it of theirs? Jobs are hard to find. Under current administration, the private sector has shrunk while the gov't has exploded. Now this stupid local gov't making it tough for some to get a job.

 

[oldman]

Dang...was hoping this was just internet rumour crappola, but nope.

http://watchdog.org/104307/in-one-florida-county-nicotine-is-a-banned-drug/

 

[mso489]

People long to have the moral upper hand, or any upper hand, and they will always abuse it.

When people go from plain teaching to department head, oh watch out.

 

[numbersix]

Dontcha love busy bodies who feel they know what's good for you? The thing that does get under my collar is when they pat themselves on the back, saying what a great thing they are doing for the public - namely taking away their rights and fining or jailing them when they do.
This was my fear of stocking up 50 years worth of tobacco (not that I will live that long). Once they start drug testing for nicotine, we're done. It won't be very long before it's illegal. Still, it's not going to stop me from stocking up as much as I can, but the future isn't very bright for our younger smokers.

 

[rmason]

Well leave it to Florida, on the for front of tobacco legislation and meth use, coincident I think not.

~Ron

 

[simnettpratt]

The punchline to the story is of course, they exempt themselves.

 

[numbersix]

The punchline to the story is of course, they exempt themselves.

+1

 

[krgulick]

+1. Not too hypocritical are they? But it truly is Florida at its best.

 

[zonomo]

This is shocking? Isn't Fl known for its large Cuban community and cigars?

 

[str8musicman]

I think they should start drug testing for junk food and cheese burgers too. I mean that causes tons of health problems. They should make that illegal too. All we can do is live in a bubble and eat carrots and sunflower seeds. I mean why stop at nicotine? Why not start controlling EVERY aspect of our lives? Makes me sick .

 

[plateauguy]

“As such, the policy does not apply to our County Commission or those individuals who may run for office in the future.”
Typical "do as I say, not as I do" control. Frankly, I'm surprised it was Florida and not Washington.

 

[northernneil]

This was my fear of stocking up 50 years worth of tobacco (not that I will live that long). Once they start drug testing for nicotine, we're done. It won't be very long before it's illegal.

I think there are a lot of things that are illegal and tested for, but people still do it and easily get away with it. Just don't flaunt it or try and sell it on the black market and you'll be fine!

 

[str8musicman]

Hey Plateau guy. Is that name a Nirvana tribute? It was the whole Washington thing that set off the light bulb.

 

[plateauguy]

str8,

Sorry, too old for Nirvana (though I've driven through Curt Colbain's home town of Aberdeen a lot). I live on the Enumclaw plateau.

 

[pipefish]

After reading this thread I did a little extra research on the issue and came across a very interesting potential scenario as a result of this law:
"Current employees are not affected by the county’s policy, which may lead to such situations as a new hire who quit smoking to be an employee being supervised by someone who takes a break to smoke." (http://flaglerlive.com/58251/employee-smoking-prohibition/)
Wow--can cut the hypocrisy with a pipe tool.

 

[captainbob]

And yet, we hear that it is ok for medical and recreational use of weed in some places! Our society is upside-down in many respects.

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