Originally Posted by
tubby linton
Was there any question as to whether he had been part of the supply chain or was he just a consumer?
In this case, his role as consumer is the key issue. If he was "only" a supplier, it would have had far less impact on flight safety.
As far as stress is concerned, stress is a discomfort that compels us to think about conflicting priorities. For pilots, these bear directly on how we balance flight safety with all of our other life issues.
The fact that flying is stressful is not an excuse for getting high. Quite the opposite, it is a key reason that getting high is incompatible with being a pilot.
For
some people, once they have started relieving their stress chemically, it becomes a very tempting method of "resolving" any stressful problem. Regardless of whether this condition is treated or not, over years and decades, the most likely result is things like divorce, financial ruin, and suicide.
Certainly any public court judge is very familiar with this - and I have no doubt that this is what the judge had in mind when he prohibited the pilot from continuing his occupation. It's not a issue of punishment, just one of making sure that this pilot didn't take anyone down with him.