Abrahn - as I am sure you are aware, the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) for a commercial pilot cannot exceed a level equivalent to 0.2 grams of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) per litre of blood. That is a quarter of the England/Wales drinking and driving limit. In those circumstances, if the said pilot was turning up to work under the influence (even to that very small level), the starting point here in the UK is 6 months in jail. If a pilot turns up to work under the influence of a Class A drug, do you really think this will be treated as a gravity score 3 offence? BA made the decision to get their previous employee out the country very quickly and get him back home, whereupon he appeared to fail a drugs test. From where I sit, he is extremely lucky not to be in jail and to only lose his job. The idea that 'everyone is doing this these days', which is kind of the line being taken by some here is just wrong at every level. Everyone is not doing it and those few that do cannot seriously say they had no idea of how it was going to pan out.