Santa Rosa Sheriff's Department Outlaws...Tobacco?

[SlimXero]

Being from Pensacola, I can honestly say this doesn't surprise me in the least. My roommate was going to go through the police academy and they told him 6 months without tobacco of any sort, I thought "They're nuts. Isn't that illegal?" Guess not. One of the many reasons I can't wait to vacate this stupid state. When I lived in Pensacola, I had to cover up my tattoos, remove my piercings and cut my hair to even get considered for a job, and now they're discriminating based on tobacco use? SMFH.

[LaceyUnderall]

The policy states smoking tobacco or tobacco related products.

What is most interesting in these situations is that this also includes all of the NRT's, which do contain nicotine.

In researching this, here is what I have found:

There is an organization that focuses primarily on helping private businesses (and obviously now government) lower their insurance costs. They are aligning themselves with local "health" businesses that do the same.

What they are doing, is in a way, back door prohibition of nicotine.

Basically, what happens is that the health insurance providers jack up their rates and then the small business goes to these organizations, pays them a fee to help them to get their employees to comply with certain lifestyle choices and then their insurance rates go back down to a "reasonable" rate.

We all know that prohibition from a government level does not work... so it appears that they are forcing prohibition of nicotine through the private business sector.

This main organization that I am referring to is CBCA Administrators and on one of their documents I found on the web, they clearly state that if your employee wants to quit smoking, if they fill out the proper paper work, CBCA will provide them with Chantix, free of charge. They aren't even hawking the NRT's. Just the Chantix.

This IS nicotine prohibition from what I can tell. And it isn't illegal because they are using a back door through the private sector. Especially in states that are still "at will" employment states. You have the right to choose where you work, even though the main argument in the smoking bans is that people don't have the right to choose where they work.

Welcome to CBCA Administrators, Inc.

[ECS-Mike]

Well the obvious answer to this is to have people start paying their own insurance.

That is the beef here for the employers. They are basically saying 'if we are paying for your medical care, you're going to stop doing things that make it so expensive'. Their insurance costs no doubt go way down if they are insuring a bunch of non-smokers, so you cant really blame them.

[Vocalek]

Jim Hagedorn, Scotts Miracle-Gro's chief executive officer of Scott's Miracle-Gro isn't charging higher premiums. He is firing current employees who don't quit smoking.

Online Extra: Hagedorn: "We Care About Our People"

My view is we choose not to employ smokers because it comes right down to us saying that as a culture we care about our people and we are not going to tolerate suicidal behavior. If we had somebody running around saying I'm going to commit suicide, we'd call an ambulance and take them away. They have a problem and they need help. To me, what I think is missing in this debate about wellness is that it is O.K. for a company to say we care about our people, and we choose not to have our folks behave in a way that's going to be heartbreaking.

So, it's OK, because he is denying them employment "for their own good."

The company can legally fire smokers in 21 states. “We’re being as aggressive as the law will allow us, to keep our costs under control,” Hagedorn said."

[sherid]

I find it despicable that the same insurance companies who demand that smokers pay more also make hundreds of millions of dollars from their investments in tobacco stock.

[SheerLuckHolmes]

I am so happy that I bought my own franchise business. No do-gooders trying to control me to confrom to their vision of correctness. I used to be proud to be an American, born in the land of the free. No more, it just ain't the same place anymore.

[maddcatt1]

Jim Hagedorn, Scotts Miracle-Gro's chief executive officer of Scott's Miracle-Gro isn't charging higher premiums. He is firing current employees who don't quit smoking.




So, it's OK, because he is denying them employment "for their own good."

The company can legally fire smokers in 21 states. “We’re being as aggressive as the law will allow us, to keep our costs under control,” Hagedorn said."

I wonder if there products end up in the tobacco?

[TaketheRedPill]

OK this is funny kinda.

You can pass the Nicotine test with the same stuff they use to fake the test for pot. It also looks like it stays in your system the same amount of time that pot does.

Don't know about that, but I did read an article about a UK study where they were analyzing stored nicotine in toenail clippings (i guess because toenails grow so slowly). From that study, it seems nicotine (or a marker for nicotine) is stored in the body, and if it's in toenails, it's in your hair also. So I don't see a way around fooling any test unless your bald I guess. lol

[DigitalC]

I'm from Santa Rosa.. and can def say that they should allow the cops to smoke...the need to relax a bit just like us!

Then again here in Cali...we have ratcheted down on smoking in public places pretty hard...that's why I Vape!! no one seems to mind here once I tell them what I'm doing...they think it hella cool... Smokers and Non-smokers alike..

[stevr59]

this is just the start, we gave up owe rights long ago, soon you will have to go to a government approved church. Ron Paul was the best choice for president. go read George Orwell 1984