BBC - Army "losing battalion" to drugs
 

BBC report on increased level of positive drug tests in the Army at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7142413.stm.

What exactly does she mean by that - lowering our standards or picking on other trades? Unless she's suggesting that soldiers use drugs-testing as an easy exit, but no-one can predict when and where the tests come, so it's not easy to adopt this cynical view. Maybe the clue is just in the fact that she's a "management analyst".

Of course the easy answer would be to reduce your drug testing.

As for 85% being tested annually, I havent seen the CDT for at least 4 years and assumed answer A above was already in force.

Unfortunately it is a reflection of our wider society. However, I for one would not like to see a relaxation of our policy just to aid retention figures. If you are going to go to war you want to know that the bloke covering your back is not on drugs, nor is irresponsible enough to have been on drugs. How would you know when to trust him/her?

Its always stuck me as strange that the MoD has chosen one of the most expensive methods of drugs testing when compared to that used in the civil sector but then completely ignores testing for alcohol via random breath testing.

As for lowering standards, unfortunately there are many factors which have given rise to an increase in positive drugs tests. Pressure of current operational tempo and resultant drug use by some individuals is no doubt one of them but of course the fact we now draw recurits from a society in which recreational drug use is far more accepted is no doubt another one.

A far better solution than the current one would be to introduce on-site drugs testing using dipstick cards which will only flag up regular users rather than occassional users. These tests are also very simple to undertake and can be implimented by managers suspecting drug use rather than the blanket testing of many folk which is not only time consuming and expensive but also takes service personnel away from their primary duties.
These tests could be carried out within the med centre with the attendance of a single witness (RAF Police or an officer) and a witness for the accused if required.

Drug use is now widespread in airline cabin crew and I would suspect that a number of airlines would cease to function if the drug policy of the MoD was to be taken up.

Allmost all of the drug use is on nights off and well away from work but of course some drugs will show up on a test up to three months after use.

I have yet to see anyone turn up for work unfit due to drug use but I cant say that for the booze!

I think that the forces are going to have to take a more pragmatic veiw to "soft" drug use away from duty.

Drugs
 

Field Marshall Bob Marley:

He also said,

Which is not the best defence at a court martial, or BOI.

Field Marshall Bob Marley also penned the Royal Signals song:

The Helpful Stacker

Oh the irony!:D


Celer et Audax - have a good Christmas

I'm afraid the discussion so far here worries me.
This should be a no-brainer. Use drugs in the military- lose your job and any accumulated benefits, and additionally it should be seen by the state as deliberately making oneself unemployed so benefits don't kick in.
Same goes for drink (and here I am as guilty as most forum members. Luckily I got away without hurting myself or anyone else, but would definitely counsel against such activity now).

The trouble is that the rules on drug taking prior to entry have changed. It used to be the case that class A use precluded you from service but now you simply declare you will give it up prior to service. How many class A users can simply give it up let alone those that live on the so called sociably acceptable ladder at level C.

I can well recall coming back from Kosovo to be met by the CDT team. Upon being informed that they were going to test only half of us, I duly volunteered, if for no other reason than to keep busy, at which point everyone who had a hand in the air was released and was thoroughly well lubricated in the mess by the time that the "they won't bother to pick me" brigade had finished weeing into sample bottles. We, of course were just pi$$ing ourselves.

In my opinion the article states exactly why more people are getting caught - because they want to! The operational tempo is so high and the effects of the current ops so intense, that many are desperate to leave and this is an easy way out. If this is the case then it is rather sad that our people are desperate enough to throw away a pension and gain a dishonourable discharge just to leave the Service. It seems more than a coincidence to me that this increase has occured at the same time as we have seen a rapid increase in Ops and fierce fighting. Is this just another indicator of our failure to properly look after our troops?

It is still less than 1% of the Army as a whole. Not really bad statistics when you look at most of them being a 'prime mischief' demographic group of young lads and lasses with disposable income. Compare that to the rest of society.

Mr C Hinecap,

At last a voice of reason, though I'd bet that the media would never see it that way.

Like others in this thread, I also support zero tolerance of alcohol abuse in the workplace and the use of so-called "recreational drugs" at any time. I recently retired after over 30 years service and was randomy tested on a number of occasions at ISK and Waddo. I was always appalled by the fascist attitude of the drug testers most of whom seemed to be WOs who would not have been out of place as prison guards at Belsen. I also wonder how many other sections of society would tolerate having their place of work under lockdown while being marched to a cubicle and observed while filling a specimen jar. If this practise was conducted in MOD, how many civilians would fail? Even better lets line them in the House of Commons, I wonder how many positive samples would be discovered in that den of hypocrits.

Perhaps if people are deliberately failing CDT as an easy way out of the forces, there should be a mandatory two years in the glasshouse prior to discharge.

Whilst it may work in some civvy corporations, to suggest tolerance of drug use in the armed forces shows a lack of understanding of the responsibility placed on individual servicemen. When guns, aircraft, artillery, tanks etc come into play, there is no room for any drug use at all. A nice, workable, simple to understand policy is one of zero tolerance - no exceptions or mitigation.

If for instance the MOD was to relax its laws and allow such a thing , then just think of all the people who have been discharged come out of the woodwork and claim compensation for unfair discharge. I think the MOD should not even be considering this idea. Drink I know is an evil too and cant be condoned but where do you draw the line of enjoyment and working your life for a company that lets face does not give a flying f*** about you . The lads getting shot at all day have seen things many of us will never or could imagine , fear stress you name it , Drugs is maybe there way of dealing with it , after all what support programs are in place for troops returning.

I wonder how many alcoholics there are in the Services?
Heavy drinking is the chosen pastime for many Service people.
Not condeming it (I like a drink too) but question the double standards of testing for illegal drugs whilst ignoring legal ones

Goudie

"Heavy drinking is the chosen pastime for many Service people."


Absolutely ridiculous comment:ugh:What evidence have you got for this arbitary throwaway. To suggest that the services are populated by drunks is total b:mad:s.

Ed

Are you a Sun journalist? I made no such suggestion. I speak from my Service experiences. Have you had any of that?