Cdt

[Fg Off Max Stout]

southside,

I know by now that you always play devil's advocate just to provoke a reaction, and I know that by replying I'm feeding a troll, but some of your barking statements need to be challenged.

1. 'As most recreational drugs do little or no harm, isn't it about time we accepted that a small % of our band are going to take drugs? What about testing for alcohol as well?'
WTF? Most recreational drugs do significant harm. That's why their illegal. I don't want someone torquing my Jesus nuts when their smacked out on crystal meth. Zero tolerance please. And, yes, people do get tested for alcohol as well.

2. RAF and alcohol. Bull**** factor - high.
I may live in the Mess, but my life is certainly not dominated by alcohol and neither am I forced or unduly encouraged to drink. I have a teetotaller colleague whose decision not to drink is respected and supported. Are you suggesting that if I turned up to fly batfaced, that would be OK because alcohol is a legal drug? Whatever.

3. Fags comparison. Irrelevant.
Tabbing fags may be a dirty habit but it doesn't impair your ability.

4. 'Why is it ok to get pi$$ed and not stoned?' Are you drunk, southside?
When you get p1ssed you know that you'll be back on the ball after a predictable amount of time - alcohol has a known ABV and is quality controlled. When you smoke da erb your reactions are impaired for days and you don't know whether you've just spent your kitty on Moroccan Black, Earl Grey or rabbit turd. Do you think your getting a safe and reliable dose of a harmless 'pharmaceutical'? In your figures do you include as drug deaths the people who are killed on the roads by smacked out drivers, or who kill themselves because they've mushed their brains etc. No. I didn't think so.

5. 'So, are you saying that we should continue to dismiss people for taking drugs whilst encouraging them to drink alcohol?...'
In a word, yes. And, as I said, the RAF does not encourage people to drink alcohol - maybe you've seen the anti alcohol posters around station. People can decide for themselves whether or not to booze. The few who cannot manage this small responsibility do get kicked out.

6. CDT is a waste of money.
No, I think it probably goes some way towards preventing more expensive drug related hull losses.


I truly think this is one area where civil liberties and all that jazz need to take a back seat in favour of a robust and firm zero tolerance 'no issue if you have nothing to hide' policy. I don't want to put my or my friends' lives in the hands of drug abusers. As Dubya once said 'Your either with us or against us'. If you are anti-CDT you are implicitly accepting increased drug use in the armed forces. Don't think, either, that many decent civvy companies doing responsible jobs would tolerate drug use. If you want the civvy viewpoint there was a thread running recently, (I think on Questions) where an aspiring ATPL student asked if he could continue to toke da erb. He was told in no uncertain terms where he stood.

If you want the right to follow a druggy lifestyle then you have no place in a professional military aviation organisation. End of story.