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New jobs unfilled because of drug addiction


OverSword

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Thousands Of Jobs In Ohio Are Left Unfilled Because People Can’t ‘Pass A Drug Test’

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The manufacturing industry in Ohio is expanding under the Trump administration, but growth is stunted because many potential employees are also addicted to drugs.

Steve Staub, who runs Staub Manufacturing Solutions in Ohio, attended the State of the Union address Tuesday as a special guest to President Donald Trump. While there, aside from participating in the pageantry, Staub discussed problems in the manufacturing industry and business in general with the president.

Staub mentioned to Trump the toll the opioid crisis has had on business’ ability to fill jobs. About two million Americans nationwide are addicted to the drug. The crisis has been particularly hard on Staub’s home state of Ohio, were thousands of job applicants are turned away because of substance abuse.

“In Ohio alone, they have about 20,000 available jobs in manufacturing. In Dayton, Ohio, where I’m from, we have about 4,000 jobs available today in manufacturing that we can’t fill,” Staub told TheDCNF. “We can’t get people to pass a drug test.”

 

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I wonder if much of this is because of marijuana?  I find it hard to believe that thousands of jobs are unfilled solely because of opiods.  Marijuana remains detectable for around 30 days.  Yes it's  relatively harmless but if you're looking for a job it's best to refrain.

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4 minutes ago, OverSword said:

I wonder if much of this is because of marijuana?  I find it hard to believe that thousands of jobs are unfilled solely because of opiods.  Marijuana remains detectable for around 30 days.  Yes it's  relatively harmless but if you're looking for a job it's best to refrain.

They weren't very specific on the offending drugs but the employer does mention Opioids.

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Staub mentioned to Trump the toll the opioid crisis has had on business’ ability to fill jobs. About two million Americans nationwide are addicted to the drug. The crisis has been particularly hard on Staub’s home state of Ohio, were thousands of job applicants are turned away because of substance abuse.

When there are Netflix documentaries on a problem, you know it must be a big one. Chemically speaking, Oxy's are very close to a sort of synthetic heroin which means the country is being flooded with a highly addictive, highly prescribed drug. It's the perfect money-making scheme for Big Pharma. It's what they have always wanted, being the biggest drug pusher on the block. If they are testing for pot, I'm sure it's a factor but the question is how much?

 

OT but...

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“We’ve gave a much larger Christmas bonus than we were going to when [tax reform] passed,” Staub told TheDCNF of his own company. “We are giving raises to everybody, and we went ahead and expanded and bought the building next door to us that was for sale as part of our future growth.”

Hearing these success stories never gets old :tu:

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A couple articles from last year about this subject..

July 24, 2017: Economy Needs Workers, but Drug Tests Take a Toll: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/business/economy/drug-test-labor-hiring.html

July 29, 2017: This Ohio factory owner says she has jobs but few sober applicants: https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/29/us/ohio-factory-owner-cnntv/index.html

August 13, 2017: Failed drug tests keep Ohio jobs unfilled: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170813/failed-drug-tests-keep-ohio-jobs-unfilled

 

 

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i have hard time believing it, but it does seem like the article is a "quiet" propaganda article, "see we need foreign workers, open borders now,"

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1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Thousands Of Jobs In Ohio Are Left Unfilled Because People Can’t ‘Pass A Drug Test’

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I wonder if much of this is because of marijuana?  I find it hard to believe that thousands of jobs are unfilled solely because of opiods.  Marijuana remains detectable for around 30 days.  Yes it's  relatively harmless but if you're looking for a job it's best to refrain.

Aside from specific geographic areas (Franklin County , MO for example)  I would assume the majority are because of marijuana. 

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Just some more information for folks to look at...

2016 Ohio Drug Overdose Report, this does not have cannabis listed in it: https://www.odh.ohio.gov/-/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/health/injury-prevention/2016-Ohio-Drug-Overdose-Report-FINAL.pdf

Strategies and policies to address the opioid epidemic: A case study of Ohio: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544319117300018

Ohio Department of Mental Health Drug Trend reports, 200-2017. This gets detailed into what substances have been on the increase and decline, listed in various formats: http://mha.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=514#35592025-june

 

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I heard this on a radio broadcast (so no source, sorry) but a small town in Kentucky (IIRC) of 2,000 people had a pharmacy that filled out Oxy prescriptions no questions asked.  Basically enough Oxys were handed out in one year to keep everyone in town stoned for a decade.

Of course, people were just going from county to county having bogus prescriptions filled out.

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I believe it.  Opioid and other addiction is crazy prevalent.  My company requires pre-employment drug testing.  It got so bad trying to get guys that for a large short term project our superintendent used a swab test instead of the standard quick pee test.  It took two weeks for the results to get back for a nine day project.  Corporate sent down the list of people to fire and the sup was, "Oh, they are laid off already.  Job's over."  Our safety guy gave the sup and I the evil eye, but said nothing.

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a lady friend of mine has been  hooked on sleeping pills pain killers and pot as well as booze and tells me that I don't have any idea what addiction is like because I have never been addicted to any thing. I drank from age 16 to 25, at least a gallon a day, I smoked from age 11 to 40.  I've tried pot and  painkillers ( hydrocodone, oxycodone and others) and in both cases ODed (the Dr. thought the pot was laced with something)the first time around with each one of them. I hated each and every reaction I've had to them. Maybe I've been lucky but I have never understood  getting hooked on any drug. when I was a kid ( before the first cigarette) I could space out with no drugs needed. 

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11 hours ago, aztek said:

i have hard time believing it, but it does seem like the article is a "quiet" propaganda article, "see we need foreign workers, open borders now,"

How about fix the American drug problem?  People get hooked, sometimes from recreational use, sometimes from prescription pain meds.   Get them treatment.  Get them employable again.  Find the causes and correct them.

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7 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

How about fix the American drug problem?  People get hooked, sometimes from recreational use, sometimes from prescription pain meds.   Get them treatment.  Get them employable again.  Find the causes and correct them.

lol, yes, and give everyone a puppy too. 

i do not give a rats a$$ why you became an addict,  i'm sure for every addict there are 2 or more healthy people that can and want to work, i'd like to employ them, not someone who is addicted. regardless of the reasons. i'm sure people who are responsible enough not to get addiction control their life will relocate if conditions and jobs are good.  i want them to build future not "damaged goods"  i've worked enough with subs who employed such "damaged goods".

Edited by aztek
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you do realize unemployment rates are nothing more than rate of people who are getting benefits,  in no way that indicates amount of people who are actually out of work, 

also using drugs, is not always the same as abusing and have your life revolve around next dose. 

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18 minutes ago, aztek said:

you do realize unemployment rates are nothing more than rate of people who are getting benefits,  in no way that indicates amount of people who are actually out of work, 

also using drugs, is not always the same as abusing and have your life revolve around next dose. 

All very true.  You seem to be lucky and not have this problem that I have here in Iowa and that the article says is happening in Ohio.

Iowa has a 3% unemployment rate.  Pretty much everyone that wants to work and that has any value are already working.  All I am left to work with are the dregs and druggies. 

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It’s insane. The government wages all these wars on drugs. Yet somehow they dropped the ball on this? Guess getting the return on protecting those poppy fields and drug company profits is more important then the war on drugs. 

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17 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

It’s insane. The government wages all these wars on drugs. Yet somehow they dropped the ball on this? Guess getting the return on protecting those poppy fields and drug company profits is more important then the war on drugs. 

Shoot its a vitally important component of the war on drugs. More drugs equals more "enemies" which equals more profit. 

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The company I worked for has random drug test but they only test those that operate equipment. If employees have a clerical job they are excluded.

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12 hours ago, aztek said:

lol, yes, and give everyone a puppy too. 

I am not sure they can take care of puppies.  That doesn't mean I don't give a rats A$$ about them.  With a little help and encouragement, some of them might beat drugs.  Some have families, parents or kids.  I hate waste.  If we are going to spend money throwing them in jail, feeding them, or hospitalizing them, having them steal or take a dump on your sidewalk,maybe we should at least try to make them productive and self supportive and help them find some self respect..  I am not such a fool as to believe all of them will change, but some will.  God loves a sinner repentant as I have heard.  Maybe we could at least offer a hand.  

On the other hand, I didn't peg you for the guy who would advocate opening our borders because we can't find enough labor in the US already.

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Just now, Tatetopa said:

   God loves a sinner repentant as I have heard. 

well, i hope god hires, cuz we humans generally do not like people who are irresponsible enough to have their life depend on next dose of dope.  as someone who has plenty of experience with these addict and "former" addicts, it just not worth it, very few can really turn their life around, but even when they do, their old life follows them.  give me 1 good reason why i need to risk my business, jobs and even safety of people that work for me, over someone whose only priority is to get next fix, or steal something to sell so he\she can shoot themselves, often at work,   screw that,

it seems to me you have no idea about practical side of this issue, only politically correct infused emotions

as for opening up borders, we take about a million people a year legally. most of them willing and able to work, that is why they went thru entire process, as law requires, and showed respect for our laws, i'd like to work with them, not with damaged good, you otoh feel free to open up your buisness, hire addicts, and tell us how it went,

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12 hours ago, aztek said:

well, i hope god hires, cuz we humans generally do not like people who are irresponsible enough to have their life depend on next dose of dope

Welp, I have no desire to tell you who to hire and personally, I know that addicts don't make good employees, at least my experience with drunks and coke users tells me that.  If the Midwest is like where I live, I'd be willing to bet that some of those folks are former military, some are Marines. Some have been blown up by IED's more than once.   One or two might have been skipped like a rock into the Euphrates in full gear tangled up in a hummer door. One of them might have been dead if his buddies hadn't found him and pulled him out.  There are folks returning with lots of damaged parts and long lasting pain.  Some have been on pain meds in a hospital for months.  Maybe they can kick it by themselves and maybe they need help. If you say they can just go to the VA, then I'd say you are the one with little grasp of reality.  With me, its a little more personal than politically correct.  Private employers shouldn't have to bear the brunt of that rehabilitation on their businesses, but there should be more attention from city state and federal government, . and funding for programs.  Some people need help getting pulled out and don't have half a dozen buddies willing to risk their lives to save them.

Not all are vets, but maybe some of the others might make it with a little help too.  Others are too far gone to try or never had the will in the first place.  I get that.

Like I say, I don't think businesses, especially small businesses, should bear the brunt of cost, but it is a good place for some of my tax dollars and charitable contributions to go.   Its a sort out process and a second chance that some won't take.  I just don't want to lump everybody into the same "they must be worthless" category.

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As an Ohioian, it definitely is a huge problem here. And not just drugs like oxy, heroin is a large part of it. It seems to be a big problem with the young.  Dont they do the same drug talks about addiction we got in school? I was in high school in the 70s when drugs were every where and we all knew the addictive properties of heroin...It was the choice of those from urban areas, not out in the suburbs but now it can be the housewife down the street who's an addict.

And while the new narcan drug saves many who would have od'd it's also a double edged sword. I've heard so much on talk radio about what's happening with it. Many EMT's and first responders are saying the most typical reaction from those revived is anger that their "high" was disrupted. And having  it available for people with addictions, at the taxpayers expense, is generating something called "narcan parties" where a bunch of users get together and take amounts that give them the ultimate high and one stays sober to administer the narcan in case anyone goes too far. How you could trust that one of these addicts will resist the lure to use and therefore remain sober enough to administer the narcan is baffling!

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The war on drugs is just a big production. Meant to make those that are not aware think that "something" is being done. Nothing is being done. Only small time dope dealers get cuffed. Has anyone noticed? Arresting Joe nobody on the street is just a diversion. But the Fed's keep doing it knowing it's a croc of turds but they don't care. As long as the real criminals aren't touched it'll be business as usual.

As for using or drug addiction. IMO the big part of the problem is peer pressure and the facade of "coolness" in using. People are conned into thinking it's cool so they develop a drug habit. For some, they are able to work while getting high everyday while others go off the deep end and can't function in day to day life (the ones that end up perm unemployed). It's sometimes sad but not when people willingly choose to throw their life away because they love being high. 

I was able to just not ever get involved in any drugs. Even when it caused me to lose "friends" and by that I mean people I knew would stop being friends with me because I wasn't getting high. Oh well, guess they weren't very good friends to begin with. 

Maybe kids in school should meet people that have thrown their lives away over drugs and see that a 20 year addiction isn't as cool as they think it might be. If kids see their future could be living under a bridge or being incarcerated for decades or living in horrible conditions it might make them think twice about starting but that's just my opinion.

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3 minutes ago, Sooth Sayer said:

Maybe kids in school should meet people that have thrown their lives away over drugs and see that a 20 year addiction isn't as cool as they think it might be. If kids see their future could be living under a bridge or being incarcerated for decades or living in horrible conditions it might make them think twice about starting but that's just my opinion.

Actually that's a good idea. In his book, the Gift of Fear, Gavin De Becker talks about how many can view these shooters, like the new school shooter, as a celeb. They see them paraded around in their orange jumpsuit and bullet proof vest with an armed guard and all the attention they get as a "Wow" moment.. In his opinion we'd be better served with news stories going through the guys house showing his dirty underwear on the floor or the disgusting dishes in the sink saying "Look at what a loser this guy was !" 

But back to schools....my kids did not have a Health class like we did in high school. Theirs was a simple on-line course with some reading and questions to answer. The ones we had were scary! They did show us pictures of addicts and told us exactly how addicting drugs were and what we could expect out of life if that's the path we chose..among other scary things. To this day I cook using a thermometer...terrified of getting flukes from uncooked meats after seeing pictures of them in health class!

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