Tonight's book club discussion will revolve around Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. It was a fascinating look at trying to survive on (more than) full work weeks making minimum wage. One of the more interesting tidbits, however, is her insight into something I've never given much thought before now: drug testing of employees. As a member of corporate America, I've grown used to submitting to the obligatory drug test prior to a new job. But the author points out that drug testing really only detects chemicals like those found in marijuana (which stay in the body for long lengths of time), but are likely to miss others like those found in heroine and cocaine (which can flush from the system quickly, sometimes less than 2 days). In an extreme case, it's strange to think that a heroine addict or crackhead could successfully pass these tests, while the recent college grad who engaged in one graduation party too many could fail. This book is worth a read for anyone who has ever held a job...
Tonight's book club discussion will revolve around Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. It was a fascinating look at trying to survive on (more than) full work weeks making minimum wage. One of the more interesting tidbits, however, is her insight into something I've never given much thought before now: drug testing of employees. As a member of corporate America, I've grown used to submitting to the obligatory drug test prior to a new job. But the author points out that drug testing really only detects chemicals like those found in marijuana (which stay in the body for long lengths of time), but are likely to miss others like those found in heroine and cocaine (which can flush from the system quickly, sometimes less than 2 days). In an extreme case, it's strange to think that a heroine addict or crackhead could successfully pass these tests, while the recent college grad who engaged in one graduation party too many could fail. This book is worth a read for anyone who has ever held a job...
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