St. Luke's Health Network to test all job applicant's for Nicotine

[markarich159]

The St. Luke's Health Network(the 2nd largest Hospital/Healthcare provider Network in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania area) will be joining other, previously discussed, Healthcare Networks across the US in testing and disqualifying job applicants who come up positive for Nicotine in a pre-employment drug screen. It was noted, in the news clip, that 19 States have laws on their books that allow prospective employers to deny employment on these grounds. It looks as though Nicotine is starting to be treated just like any other illegal drug, at least in terms of pre-employment screening.

 

[shanobi187]

I find this to be ridiculous. If they're going to treat nicotine like an illegal substance than it should be illegal in ALL it's forms. To deny people jobs because they use a substance that is LEGAL to obtain and consume, in my eyes, should be illegal, and actionable in a court of law.

 

[maxx]

If I start a business and insist on only hiring people that test POSITIVE for nicotine....would that also be legal?

And if a company is permitted to discriminate on the basis of health...can they refuse to hire anyone that is overweight? Takes a drink now and then? The sad part is that there will be no lawsuit. Smokers are now the only minority since segration in the deep south, that it is legal and actually supported by government.....to descriminate against.

Anti-smoking groups.....the new KKK.

 

[maxx]

Good video here:

St. Luke's Hospital No Longer Hiring Smokers

 

[yanks21]

Good video here:

St. Luke's Hospital No Longer Hiring Smokers

Thanks for the video link, maxx

The guy in it is right: this is a real SLIPPERY SLOPE.

First nicotine, then caffeine, then your blood sugar, then sodium levels . . .

 

[D103]

Outrageous, unethical, idiotic and patently unfair and prejudicial. Notice from the video link that the St. Lukes Hospital spokesperson, Bob Zimmel, is obviously overweight and thus should be considered an inapropriate employee - FACTS show that obesity is a much larger cost portion to the healthcare system than smoking related illness. "Slippery slope" is putting it mildly - ALL control behavior is fear based and in this case corrupt. As long as insurance companies are allowed to control a large portion of our nations expenditures (legalized extortion) we will continue to see this slippery slope. "They" have already started going after obesity in much the same "abusive and discriminatory way" What's next is indeed the frightening question - use your imagination - what about "risky behaviors that more often contribute to physical injury" say, snow skiing, snow boarding, dirtbike riding, parachuting, etc. What indeed will be next - govt. sanctioned "calorie limits" built into our credit cards and based on our ever-increasingly accessed 'health profile' not to mention our 'genetic pre-dispositions'. We need to see insurance companies and the current insurance and legal drug (Big Pharma) industries for what they are and collectively we need to dismantle both and start anew with some more practical, fair, scientifically based not politically based systems which serve the whole and not the few. That said it is probably impossible under our present monetary system.

 

[markarich159]

we need to dismantle both and start anew with some more practical, fair, scientifically based not politically based sytems which serve the whole and not the few. That said it is probably impossible under our present monetary system.

Interesting, sounds like an idea I've heard before(a pretty good one too) proposed by a guy named Jacques Fresco in reference to redesigning society in its entirety. Switching to a resource based economy rather then a monetarily debt-ridden based one. His website is here:

The Venus Project

 

[katnbrian]

Just another piece in the puzzle of change that some wanted....I mean some thought they wanted.
Its a big puzzle for those who want/need control of others and lots of pieces that they will be suffocating ALL of us over the next few years. Then maybe this nightmare will end.

 

[D103]

Absolutely markarich159! The Venus Project a totally facinating concept - just imagining the possiblities makes your head spin. Whether or not it would ever be possible, I'm not sure, but I agree with his statement that the natural and unavoidable evolution of any economic/political system based on monetary economics is an evolution towards fascism. I've read the very same beliefs/observations in a variety of other economic and sociopolitical journals and books.

 

[D103]

And in my opinion we are certainly seeing that in our country and have been for sometime now. If one really thinks about it: we actually have created laws about how tall one's grass can be?!?!?!?! The thought of supposed adult men and women-supposed leaders and representatives of our interests, sitting around the proverbial legislative table and actually discussing a law about the "appropriate and permissable" height an individual may have for his grass re: a home the individual owns; and then determining different levels of legal sanctions/fines etc to include first offense, second offense, etc.--it is beyond obscene and to me is incomprehensible. In many other states there are zoning laws which actually govern/legislate what "color(s)" a person may paint their own home ( and the selection is very limited, right down to the particular color/code number for the particular colors allowed - usually only one to three shades of white and possibly one very light shade of beige and one light shade of gray). And of course now the recognized slippery slope were on (which by the way was really greased by the lawsuits against Big Tobacco and the repeated passage of anti-smoking legislation) looks like it will target calories, obesity, fast food, etc. If all of this is not movement towards fascism then I don't know what is.