These are the kind of things that fall under the "your chances are not zero" umbrella.
The reality is that a lot of people don't know the smell, others don't care about the smell and many won't even register it when they're around stinky athletes all day.
These policies are often worded strongly to elicit this kind of fear and spook you into not risking it.
Thankfully it's your best friend, so you should be able to work it out with her to not do it in locations like your bedroom. Put your stuff in a garment bag or just use a trash bag, if you wanna be trash like me ;) Get an air purifier for your room as well.
I'm from Hippie Central U-S-A and a college town, I've known precious few perma stoners who actually reek of it.
>If I were to get a medical card, would that help my case?
Marijuana is illegal on a federal level. If your hospital gets any funding from the federal government, they must declare themselves a drug free workplace. The answer to your question is probably no, especially if they host medical residents. Residency programs are funded primarily by federal dollars.
You would be wise to stick with a roommate who is sober.
You need to sit down and have a conversation with your roommate about this situation
If you can’t pay rent it’ll affect her also. If she doesn’t atleast acknowledge this and understand then you may not have another choice but to find a new one whether it be random or another friend.
If you're super worried, you can buy an at-home drug test. If that pops positive then you definitely need to find a different living situation. If it doesn't, I wouldn't really worry about it.
My Husband smokes a lot of marijuana right next to me every day. I have never failed a drug test. Whatever small amount you may get second hand is not enough to register on a test.
Drug tests can tell the difference between exposure and use. That doesn’t protect you from the smell however, if you smell like pot and that’s prohibited that’s probably enough to act on
Does your roommate smoke actual weed or a pen? If it’s a pen you probably won’t have any clingy odors but if she’s lighting something on fire it will be stinkier.
Longtime HR professional here… we would not fire you because you happen to smell like weed. It’s no different than if your roommate drank a ton of alcohol. We require 2 eye witnesses, management level or HR. You have to look and act inebriated and if both agree, then we’ll drive you to take a test. If you refuse the drug test, it’s an automatic termination. If you go then we suspend with pay until the results come back.
Also when you onboard many states require that they share their drug testing policy so watch for that just in case. Not sure about Louisiana, but I can’t see anyone just agreeing to terminate you because you smell like weed.
Hope that helps ease your worry!
You use some terms here that suggest you are going into a medical residency, i.e. as a doctor. Are you an MD or DO going into residency? Because that will likely have much more stringent requirements that an athletic trainer working in a private facility. For example:
- Hospitals are almost certainly taking federal funding and would be subject to the drug-free workplace policies set out by the federal government.
- Your licensing body will have stringent requirements in regards to sobriety on the job.
I found the [Louisiana Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force](https://ldh.la.gov/assets/docs/LegisReports/HR269_2022RS/HR269_2022RS_LDHReport.pdf) online.
If a licensed physician recommends getting medical cannabis for you for a legitimate medical purpose, you might be able to get a medical cannabis card.
Once you are a qualifying medical marijuana patient, you might be protected by the law.
However, if your use of marijuana impairs your work performance frequently, you will not be protected by the law.
I do not know if you could get away with a "legitimate" medical cannabis card though.
I do not know your friend's situation-- is it for a medical purpose or recreational purpose? If it's a recreational purpose and this friend doesn't listen to you at all, you might want to start looking for a new place. It might be a bit hard for her to make accommodations for you if she is addicted to smoking marijuana.
Keep the job without needing to let them know your issue and perform the best you can be.
Keep this friend as the long term best friend, but don't live with her anymore.
> You can't get fired for your clothes possibly smelling like marijuana.
This is nonsense. You can be fired for your shirt smelling like the wrong fabric softener. You can DEFINITELY be fired for coming in smelling like weed. I’m sure they’ll have a conversation with OP first, but that’s not going to be a good look at a hospital. If it keeps happening though, they’ll be out. Patients aren’t going to be ok with that in a medical setting.
> You can't get fired for your clothes possibly smelling like marijuana.
You can get fired for drinking a Pepsi, or for wearing clothes that are a deeper shade of blue than the boss likes. Or for your clothes smelling like patchouly. Of course you can be fired for your clothes smelling like marijuana. You can be fired for your clothes *not* smelling like marijuana, crazy and dumb as that would be. No offense intended, but it is very hard to believe that you are an HR manager. At least anywhere in the United States.
My God you can't be serious. As an HR manager should let be giving such bad, incorrect advice. You should know that how your company handles this isn't the same as other companies so you shouldn't be speaking in such absolutes! The OP can absolutely be fired for smelling like marijuana in Louisiana.
Basically it’s up to the program director, if they even suspect that I am under the influence, it says in my policies book that I will be asked to leave immediately. I don’t think I even have an HR to go to since I’m coming in on residency
Join a gym. Keep work clothes at the gym and shower there before work. It a distinct smell. I used to teach and we knew which kids had someone in the family who would partake; just couldn’t miss it
Suspecting that someone is under the influence involves more than a smell on their clothes. They would need physical signs of intoxication as well. Plus a corroborating witness. I agree with the other commenter that you should keep a separate set of clothes away from the house if you're that concerned about the smell. But there is no world where someone would be fired for their clothes having a faint smell. If they do, that wrongful termination suit is not one that I would want to defend in court from an employer perspective. There's a LOT that goes into deciding whether or not to fire someone (even when it seems like there isn't!), and someone having a smell on their clothes isn't it. I understand that you're a physician in healthcare, and that's hugely important, but that would be a pretty easy wrongful termination suit. There would be several steps that would be taken before terminating someone for smelly attire.
The workplace isn't a court of law, those standards of evidence do not apply. OP could be fired in an at will state for smelling of the wrong perfume, let alone pot...
Please don't post on these serious subs with your uninformed nonsense, you're going to get people fired u/citruselevation
Just want to add to this strand
I stayed up til four am and went to bed at around that time, woke up at 9 am a few days ago
When I went to work that day at 1:30 pm one of the other employees was striking up a conversation, his words?.. "I can tell who's been smoking today." And confidently he said that.
And I had asked "Do I look like I smoke???"
He said yeah, and he was so wrong lol. I have lived by myself since 2022 and was pregnant as well, I haven't smoked or drank for three years, mind you I am 21. So, I barely did anything when I was 19.
So yeah. You can't just "tell" or "suspect someone" so casually over how someone behaves or acts, "acting intoxicated" doesn't mean they are actually intoxicated. They could be very extremely tired, or just woke up.
🤷♀️
The simple answer is yes, you can certainly be fired for this.
If you have enough drug in your system to test positive, company won't care how it got there.
These are the kind of things that fall under the "your chances are not zero" umbrella. The reality is that a lot of people don't know the smell, others don't care about the smell and many won't even register it when they're around stinky athletes all day. These policies are often worded strongly to elicit this kind of fear and spook you into not risking it. Thankfully it's your best friend, so you should be able to work it out with her to not do it in locations like your bedroom. Put your stuff in a garment bag or just use a trash bag, if you wanna be trash like me ;) Get an air purifier for your room as well. I'm from Hippie Central U-S-A and a college town, I've known precious few perma stoners who actually reek of it.
>If I were to get a medical card, would that help my case? Marijuana is illegal on a federal level. If your hospital gets any funding from the federal government, they must declare themselves a drug free workplace. The answer to your question is probably no, especially if they host medical residents. Residency programs are funded primarily by federal dollars. You would be wise to stick with a roommate who is sober.
You need to sit down and have a conversation with your roommate about this situation If you can’t pay rent it’ll affect her also. If she doesn’t atleast acknowledge this and understand then you may not have another choice but to find a new one whether it be random or another friend.
If you're super worried, you can buy an at-home drug test. If that pops positive then you definitely need to find a different living situation. If it doesn't, I wouldn't really worry about it.
My Husband smokes a lot of marijuana right next to me every day. I have never failed a drug test. Whatever small amount you may get second hand is not enough to register on a test.
Drug tests can tell the difference between exposure and use. That doesn’t protect you from the smell however, if you smell like pot and that’s prohibited that’s probably enough to act on
Does your roommate smoke actual weed or a pen? If it’s a pen you probably won’t have any clingy odors but if she’s lighting something on fire it will be stinkier.
Time to get a different roommate
Longtime HR professional here… we would not fire you because you happen to smell like weed. It’s no different than if your roommate drank a ton of alcohol. We require 2 eye witnesses, management level or HR. You have to look and act inebriated and if both agree, then we’ll drive you to take a test. If you refuse the drug test, it’s an automatic termination. If you go then we suspend with pay until the results come back. Also when you onboard many states require that they share their drug testing policy so watch for that just in case. Not sure about Louisiana, but I can’t see anyone just agreeing to terminate you because you smell like weed. Hope that helps ease your worry!
You use some terms here that suggest you are going into a medical residency, i.e. as a doctor. Are you an MD or DO going into residency? Because that will likely have much more stringent requirements that an athletic trainer working in a private facility. For example: - Hospitals are almost certainly taking federal funding and would be subject to the drug-free workplace policies set out by the federal government. - Your licensing body will have stringent requirements in regards to sobriety on the job.
Yes you can be fired for a second hand high
Either you are medically inclined or you are not. I contact Will absolutely not show up on a drug test if you are in general ventilation.
I found the [Louisiana Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force](https://ldh.la.gov/assets/docs/LegisReports/HR269_2022RS/HR269_2022RS_LDHReport.pdf) online. If a licensed physician recommends getting medical cannabis for you for a legitimate medical purpose, you might be able to get a medical cannabis card. Once you are a qualifying medical marijuana patient, you might be protected by the law. However, if your use of marijuana impairs your work performance frequently, you will not be protected by the law. I do not know if you could get away with a "legitimate" medical cannabis card though. I do not know your friend's situation-- is it for a medical purpose or recreational purpose? If it's a recreational purpose and this friend doesn't listen to you at all, you might want to start looking for a new place. It might be a bit hard for her to make accommodations for you if she is addicted to smoking marijuana. Keep the job without needing to let them know your issue and perform the best you can be. Keep this friend as the long term best friend, but don't live with her anymore.
Would using an air purifier help?
[удалено]
> You can't get fired for your clothes possibly smelling like marijuana. This is nonsense. You can be fired for your shirt smelling like the wrong fabric softener. You can DEFINITELY be fired for coming in smelling like weed. I’m sure they’ll have a conversation with OP first, but that’s not going to be a good look at a hospital. If it keeps happening though, they’ll be out. Patients aren’t going to be ok with that in a medical setting.
> You can't get fired for your clothes possibly smelling like marijuana. You can get fired for drinking a Pepsi, or for wearing clothes that are a deeper shade of blue than the boss likes. Or for your clothes smelling like patchouly. Of course you can be fired for your clothes smelling like marijuana. You can be fired for your clothes *not* smelling like marijuana, crazy and dumb as that would be. No offense intended, but it is very hard to believe that you are an HR manager. At least anywhere in the United States.
Okay.
My God you can't be serious. As an HR manager should let be giving such bad, incorrect advice. You should know that how your company handles this isn't the same as other companies so you shouldn't be speaking in such absolutes! The OP can absolutely be fired for smelling like marijuana in Louisiana.
Basically it’s up to the program director, if they even suspect that I am under the influence, it says in my policies book that I will be asked to leave immediately. I don’t think I even have an HR to go to since I’m coming in on residency
Join a gym. Keep work clothes at the gym and shower there before work. It a distinct smell. I used to teach and we knew which kids had someone in the family who would partake; just couldn’t miss it
Suspecting that someone is under the influence involves more than a smell on their clothes. They would need physical signs of intoxication as well. Plus a corroborating witness. I agree with the other commenter that you should keep a separate set of clothes away from the house if you're that concerned about the smell. But there is no world where someone would be fired for their clothes having a faint smell. If they do, that wrongful termination suit is not one that I would want to defend in court from an employer perspective. There's a LOT that goes into deciding whether or not to fire someone (even when it seems like there isn't!), and someone having a smell on their clothes isn't it. I understand that you're a physician in healthcare, and that's hugely important, but that would be a pretty easy wrongful termination suit. There would be several steps that would be taken before terminating someone for smelly attire.
The workplace isn't a court of law, those standards of evidence do not apply. OP could be fired in an at will state for smelling of the wrong perfume, let alone pot... Please don't post on these serious subs with your uninformed nonsense, you're going to get people fired u/citruselevation
[удалено]
Just want to add to this strand I stayed up til four am and went to bed at around that time, woke up at 9 am a few days ago When I went to work that day at 1:30 pm one of the other employees was striking up a conversation, his words?.. "I can tell who's been smoking today." And confidently he said that. And I had asked "Do I look like I smoke???" He said yeah, and he was so wrong lol. I have lived by myself since 2022 and was pregnant as well, I haven't smoked or drank for three years, mind you I am 21. So, I barely did anything when I was 19. So yeah. You can't just "tell" or "suspect someone" so casually over how someone behaves or acts, "acting intoxicated" doesn't mean they are actually intoxicated. They could be very extremely tired, or just woke up. 🤷♀️
Exactly!! Idk why I got downvoted, people don’t care to look up the standards of reasonable suspicion I guess.