Elon Musk has smoked grass in the air, but screening tests for CEOs are extremely rare

In a video recording of the podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" this week, Tesla

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Executive Director Elon Musk seems to be smoking marijuana. Host Joe Rogan asked Musk, "You probably can not [smoke that] because of the shareholders, no? The answer is complicated.

Like many companies, Tesla's drug testing labs operate machines in the factories that manufacture its electric cars, according to Engine's Engine Forums. As marijuana is legalized in more states, some employers have discussed eliminating cannabis testing and finding more difficult drugs, but many continue to do so for employees. Should executives operating $ 57 billion worth of business be subject to the same restrictions?

Musk mentioned the legal problem in the podcast before joining the group, saying, "I mean, it's legal, no?" And Rogan replies, "It's totally legal." Rogan and Musk are based in California. legalize the recreational use of the grass. (Tesla did not respond to requests for comment).

"I think the trip to C-Suite is rigorous enough to eliminate such irregularities."

Last year, states that had not legalized marijuana tested for this substance in 98% of employees' blood samples, according to Sample and Quest Diagnostics, a company based in Madison, New Jersey, provides national clinical laboratory tests to potential and / or current employees. In Colorado, which legalized marijuana in 2014, 96% of tests, including marijuana.

For the leaders of C-Suite, the story is different. According to Vishal Agarwal, author of "Give to Get: A Guide to Senior Management for Business Management", the analysis of executive drugs remains rare and the former General Manager of Development and Investments of General Electric africa

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He said drug testing outside the United States is very rare and in most countries it is rare for them to be white-collar workers.

Drug testing is most often done on blue-collar workers, including on factory soils, he added. "I have never heard of [drug testing an executive] in my 25-year global experience, "he said. "I think the trip to C-Suite is rigorous enough to eliminate such irregularities. Professional life becomes a "sufficient screening test". "

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In his book "Workplace Interventions," Michael R. Frone, a senior researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, argues that they should do so. "If an organization has an alcohol and drug testing program, testing should include all levels of the organization," he said. "Substance abuse problems can exist at all levels of an organization and senior management can impact a larger organization than the typical employee."

Illicit drug use is related to absenteeism, lost productivity, workplace injuries and injuries, according to data from the Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration. The consequences are particularly marked for blue-collar workers with a serious accident.

Addiction problems were the eighth most common red flag in the detection of business fraud and misconduct.

However, drugs still cause problems for higher-ranking employees, says Frone. Some 70% of financial corruption cases involved someone in authority, according to a 2018 report from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, of which 38% were executives and 32% were owners or executives. The study showed that addiction problems were the eighth most common red flag when identifying frauds and misconduct.

Musk's recreational drug use has been called into question when he suddenly declared on Twitter

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he converted Tesla from a publicly traded company into a private company, selling it at $ 420 per share (the figure is a fun reference to marijuana). Musk has already stated that drugs were not involved in this tweet.

The Tesla Board of Directors is aware that Musk has "occasionally used recreational drugs," according to a New York Times report. Rapper Azealia Banks has publicly accused Musk of tweeting after taking psychedelic acid. Kara Swisher, a technology reporter, said many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are now using psychedelic drugs such as fungi, LSD and hallucinogen DMT, in addition to weeds to boost creativity and innovation.

Of course, many executives use drugs and that does not always hurt their career. A recent example is President Donald Trump's chief economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, who fought against cocaine and alcohol addiction in the 1990s and forced him to take four weeks off with Bear Stearns. . Prior to the leave, he had skipped a speech in front of 200 investors in 1994. Later he attended a residential rehabilitation program for six months and stated that he was sober now.

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The global drug testing market is expected to continue to grow 10 percent between 2017 and 2025, according to figures released last month by market research firm Business Industry Reports. The increase is mainly fueled by drug testing at workplaces.

Of all the screening tests performed by Quest Diagnostics, 70% are drug tests done by job seekers before they are used.

Of all the drug tests performed by Quest Diagnostics, 70% are drug tests done by job seekers before hiring, and 15% are random tests done on existing employees . Other tests are usually done after an accident to determine if drugs played a role, according to Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology at Quest Diagnostics.

The most common drug test includes five classes of substances: amphetamines, opiates, marijuana, cocaine and PCP, about 50% of the total tests, said Sample. Some tests also check for barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone or prescription drugs such as opiates. Hospitals or dental practices can test employees for prescription drugs in the event of the disappearance of drugs.

Some pre-employment drug tests have been questioned to potentially allow discrimination. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued companies for discrimination after canceling job offers to people who failed drug tests, while those people were taking legitimate drugs as a disability or an opioid addiction.