Community | July 01, 2010 | 11 comments

Are BP’s Drug Tests Fueling Domestic Violence in the Gulf?

source: http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/07/01/are-bps-drug-tests-fueling-domestic-violenc...

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JackHerer
By: Michael Whitney Thursday July 1, 2010 11:26 am
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From my first day in Louisiana to report on the oil disaster in May, I heard complaints from residents and workers about BP’s restrictive hiring practices. While in general it was, and still is, difficult to get work from BP, one theme was common: many people were frustrated by BP’s drug tests. I heard several unconfirmed reports that BP had fired, in separate incidents, half of a group of fishermen, and half a group of beach recovery workers, for testing positive for marijuana.

Now Mother Jones’ Mac McClelland, in her excellent report last week from Louisiana, hints at a potentially disturbing consequence of BP’s prohibition of marijuana: alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

And the men? How are they dealing with their own anger?

“My husband’s talking about finding BP CEOs and hurting them, even if he has to go to prison forever. He’s not thinking clearly. The oil spill has completely consumed him.”

“They can’t smoke pot anymore. It’s just a part of the culture, all the fishermen do it, but now they have to take drug tests to get the cleanup work. So now they goin’ drinkin’.”

“My husband’s goin’ drinkin’. My husband comes home and screams at me. The food’s not good enough, the floors aren’t clean enough. That’s why I’m here, for him to take it out on me.”

In next-door Plaquemines Parish, 11 domestic violence came in on one recent weekend, compared with 3 on a typical weekend. Cathy Butler, the woman who takes the calls, isn’t ready to attribute the spike entirely to the oil spill; it’s a hundred degrees outside, after all, and calls always increase a bit in the summer. The mayor of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, says they’ve had 320 percent more incidents of domestic violence since the spill. Whatever the cause, Butler is sure it’s gonna get worse soon. “The more people are out of work, the more trouble we’re gonna have,” she says. “Plaquemines Community CARE is offering help now, but we’re gonna need some more counselors. In the coming months, I’m gonna see a definite increase.” She says she is also seeing an increase in child abuse calls.

Marijuana use is absolutely part of the culture for fishermen in Southern Louisiana, from what I could tell down there. While out on their boats, many fishermen will smoke pot to pass the time while their nets are in the water. But in order to bring in money while they wait for – or to make up for – BP’s short-term compensation checks, the fishermen have to switch to alcohol to pass the time.

When combined with the obvious stress of the loss of their livelihoods, an unpredictable future, and with little hope in sight, alcohol can lead to a dangerous mixture for fishermen. While there’s yet no clear link to BP’s marijuana prohibition to increase domestic violence, it certainly doesn’t help an already highly stressful situation in the Gulf.

http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/07/01/are-bps-drug-tests-fueling-dome...
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11 comments // Are BP’s Drug Tests Fueling Domestic Violence in the Gulf?

  • noxidereus
    • 0
      noxidereus  

    • This is asinine! Given that people are getting sick because BP is not allowing workers to wear protective gear (because it's bad PR), it is obvious that BP does not care about the people who are cleaning up their mess.

      It does not make sense, in this time of crisis, for BP to impose lifestyle choices on those who want to help clean up! BP was directly responsible for putting some of those people out of work in the first place. What people choose to do in their own free time should not be a factor when these people need actual work, and we need people to clean up this mess. Their work performance alone should be enough.

    • 1 year ago
  • hunzedog
  • juicie
    • +1
      juicie  

    • the problem with drug tests is that they don't test for impairment only for prior use. I am all for safe and fit for duty workers, but just because you piss dirty does not mean you are impaired. You can puff a reefer on the weekend and piss dirty two to ten weeks later.

      Drug test should be thrown out, and replaced with better managers that check to see if their subordinates are doing good work. If it is a driving or safety sensitive position they should do impairment based testing when they report for duty. Lots of people are impaired from lack of sleep or legal prescription drugs. Cannabis is one of the safest most effective sleep aids. It is also one of the safest recreational drugs. This policy encourages the use of more dangerous substances, based on an archaic view of cannabis.

    • 1 year ago
  • bunnykatz
    • -1
      bunnykatz  

    • okay...when hiring with Bp people are made aware that these tests are in place. I have several freinds working on the clean-up efforts and everyone of them has had to be tested. They are not the only company to have such policies in place...so why the whining? I must say the Bp has definatitely been great about providing employment to the locals in the area above people from other states and that in such a job in makes sense to have competent people who do not use illegal subatances. Atlast during their employment in a high risk job. not that I'm against marijuana use...but it just makes sense for thes guys to have their head on straight right now.

    • 1 year ago
  • noxidereus
    • 0
      noxidereus  
    • bunnykatz:

      This is one of the most misguided comments I have ever read. Sorry, that is not meant to be a personal attack. I don't think you're an idiot or anything. I just think you're misguided. "BP has definitely been great about providing employment"... do you work there or something? Are you being paid to try to make them look good or something? (FYI I'm just teasing)

      Let's totally forget about how they are destroying the environment and they are the ones who put those people they are "being great" about employing out of work in the first place (fishermen being the most obvious group)... So they put those people out of work and are imposing life choices on them if they want to be paid to help clean up BP's mess? That's not right.

      Meanwhile BP is not allowing the workers to wear protective gear because it's bad PR? BP is not being great about anything other than attempting to protect their precious ability to profit. As long as these workers are not high while they are working, nobody should care if they smoke in their own free time. We need this shit cleaned up.

      You also falsely equate "people who do not use illegal drugs" to being competent. First off, marijuana was made illegal based on lies. It is not one of the 10 commandments (not that I believe in the 10 commandments anyway, but you get my point). It is a flawed man-made law. There are plenty of competent people who smoke marijuana in their own free time, and there are plenty of incompetent people who don't do any illegal drugs at all. It is also worth noting that there are plenty of legal prescription drugs that would render someone less capable of working than someone who only smokes pot.

      So you are saying that pot is bad simply because it's illegal. That's fine if that's your perception, but you should know that it is not that cut and dry like that. The law is not perfect, and there are plenty of legal drugs out there that people could be taking... but that's ok? It seems that your opinion has been framed for you by social convention and not by rational thought. I don't mean that as an insult, but as an opportunity for you to rethink your position and expand your ability to think about it beyond how it is framed for you by society.

    • 1 year ago
  • jubal
  • tommic
    • 0
      tommic  

    • Stupid stupid stupid, like you need to be straight to shovel dirty sand, or to set up booms that don't work. Maybe our federal government should demand drug and alcohol test for every BP management person in the US

    • 1 year ago
  • corndog67
    • -2
      corndog67  

    • How bad do you want that job? Apparently, the $35 or so per hour isn't enough to clean your ass up for a chance to make some pretty good money. What is the average wage in Louisiana these days? $10-$12/hour? So $1400 per week isn't enough to stay clean for a while?

      I would be willing to bet the illegal aliens would line up 10 deep to make that kind of money. I would also be willing to bet the BP won't hire illegal aliens.

    • 1 year ago
  • Incredulous
    • +2
      Incredulous  

    • Fuck BP, haven't they caused enough damage? Who the hell cares if a fisherman is smoking pot...it's his boat he's using to do clean up, and it's not like pot effects someone the same way alcohol does. I am so sick of this childish and ignorant attitude towards pot smoking.

    • 1 year ago
  • toyotabedzrock
  • Omnomynous
    • +4
      Omnomynous  

    • I live in close proximity to the Gulf coast, and know many people who live along it, I know they are drug testing everyone they employ before the hiring, and am pretty sure they are doing random drug testing of employees.

      I also know that quite a few people will not be engaging in much cleanup because they will not piss clean, and don't even want to fight about it.

      It stands to reason that out of work drug consumers, would be pretty pissed off when the guys who ruined their jobs/careers was then forcing them to change their whole lifestyle in order to be employed.

    • 1 year ago
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