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Adam Montgomery English Composition Prof. C. Skutar June 1, 2015 Drugs: What is Tolerated in the Workplace In the year 2015 there are many drugs accessible to you. Some grow naturally in the earth and others are chemical creations. What I'd like to explore is why some drugs are socially acceptable and others can cause you to lose your job or to never even get the chance to start a job do to pre-employment drug testing. If potential employee A has a better resume and interviews better than potential employee B he/she still might not be employed if they do not pass a drug screen. I think it is the right of the employer to choose to drug screen their employees. What concerns me is what drugs they look for and why. Where do employers draw the line? This figurative line may not be ethical. If I'm an employer one thing that would certainly be important to me is the productivity of my employees. One might argue that drug use in the workplace can limit the productivity of employees. Therefore, of course drugs cannot be used during work or prior to working. What about drugs that work as stimulants. If there are drugs that can increase productivity in the workplace is that acceptable that an employee use drugs before coming to work or during their shift? This can be the case with the use of certain drugs. Drugs that are know as stimulants have been know to increase productivity. "Stimulants are a class of psychoactive drug that increase activity in the brain. These drugs can temporarily elevate alertness, mood, and awareness. While some stimulant drugs are legal and widely used, all can be addicting."[]There are many types of stimulants. Some you may not even realize are even a drug. "Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world, found in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate candy, and soft drinks. While caffeine has several positive effects such as increasing energy and mental alertness, heavy use can cause symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. Caffeine is physically addictive, and withdrawal symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, and irritability."[] Lots of Americans use stimulants as a way to start their day or as a boost to keep them going. However these drugs can have long term side effects. Nicotine is another stimulant that we see used every day. The general public is now under consensus that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. Even knowing this information a large portion of our nation continue to smoke cigarettes. "Nicotine is considered one of the three most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world, despite the fact that there are few (if any) medical uses for the drug." []This is because of its highly addictive nature. There are a few more common stimulants that have a much greater social stigma surrounding them. One of these commonly used stimulants is cocaine. "Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that causes euphoria, intense hikes in energy and heightened anxiety when it is smoked, eaten, injected or snorted. Substantial cocaine use takes place throughout every corner of the world, and despite the dangers and risks associated with regular cocaine abuse, Medical University of South Carolina claims that cocaine use continues to range from recreational or occasional use to patterns of compulsive involvement that present extremely addictive behaviors in nature."[] The short term effects of these drugs seem fine. You are more alert and attentive, you have a heightened sensation to sound and sight, you even feel euphoric and energized. These things could certainly provide an edge in the workplace or in any competition. The history of cocaine provides a peek into what is in store for some other stimulants that have similar effects. Cocaine comes from coca plants. These plants grow naturally in certain parts of the world. It is also assumed that even before literature was brought to parts of South America where these plants grow, that the natives have used these effects as well. Since ancient times native chewed on leaves and stems of coca plants to experience these effects. Cocaine was initially accepted and was thought to be of no harm in small doses. It was even found in products such as Coca Cola. "By the early 1900s, cocaine was banned from regular use and was no longer found in Coca Cola products or in wine or similar concoctions. Early in the 1960s the drug made a strong comeback in the party scene and was used widely through the 70s, 80s and beyond. Today, Cocaine is considered a Schedule II controlled substance with a moderately high potential for abuse and misuse. No medical uses for the drug are acceptable in the United States and it continues to be one of many illicit substances causing problems on the streets."[] The most concerning of all stimulants to me, are actually prescribed by doctors. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are typical prescribed to kids who have trouble focusing in school. They can also be prescribe for narcolepsy or even occasionally for depression. The problem introduced when you prescribe a drug is that in order to prescribe there must be a clear issue. Well with things such as depression and Adhd is that diagnosis can be somewhat subjective. A recent survey shows that these drugs are being misused. "Prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin are two of the drugs most frequently abused by high school seniors, with 6.5 percent reporting nonmedical use of Adderall in the past year."[]. The generation that started being prescribed these drugs are children have now entered the workforce as adults. My generation in particular has figured out the benefits of using these drugs. Some may use Adderall to stay up late and cram before a big test. I think that we have seen these prescription drugs long enough to understand the benefits but that the long term side effects are only just now becoming clear. These drugs are strikingly similar to drugs that have been outlawed because we have simply seen them for longer and society has had the time to see how they can change the lives of the user. "Prescription stimulants include medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin® and Concerta®) and amphetamines (Dexedrine® and Adderall®). These medications, which are in the same class of drugs as cocaine and methamphetamine (“meth”), increase alertness, energy, and attention. Like all stimulant drugs, prescription stimulants increase levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, movement, and attention."[] Although most research you can find online points to the abuse of these drugs among teens, those teens abusing drugs that may or may not be prescribed by a doctor have already entered our workplace. They can use these drugs for an edge in school as well as a boost to productivity in a competitive work environment as well. The pressure that athletes feel to be the best often push them to take extreme measure to be the best they can. This also translates to a workplace we just haven't opened societies eye to this just yet. It’s the right of the employer to fire someone that uses marijuana which has known medical uses and not many longer term side effects, but yet drugs that provide a potential boost to productivity are okay at the expensive of the users body. "Abusing prescription stimulants can also result in increased blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, as well as nausea, headaches, anxiety, psychosis, seizures, stroke, and heart failure. Individuals who chronically abuse prescription stimulants may experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using them. These symptoms can include fatigue, depression, and disturbed sleep patterns. Although not life threatening, these symptoms often prompt a return to drug use."[] We are creating a template that encourages addiction. Cherry, Kendra. "What Are Stimulants and What Do They Do?" About Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2015. "Cocaine." Stimulants. N.p., n.d. Web 06 June 2015. "Prescription Stimulants." Heads up Scholastic. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2015.