"Dig drivers violate law: Methadone prohibited by federal drug rules" - Boston Herald

[bi11i]

An article forwarded on by a commercially licenses truck driver slash board member slash Methadone Maintainer. What do you think? Should truck drivers and other licensed professionals be prohibited from doing their job if taking Methadone?

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRe...=101688&format=

A trucker hauling stone for a Big Dig contractor spotted getting doses of the heroin crave-reducing drug methadone before work was violating federal law, officials said.

Federal laws that govern commercial driver licenses ban operating under the influence of controlled substances but make exceptions for prescribed drugs that will not adversely affect the driver's ability to safely operate." The law explicitly says that the exception does not include methadone - a controversial narcotic prescribed by doctors to treat heroin and OxyContin addicts.

"It's a violation of federal law," Registry of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Amie O'Hearn said of driving a truck on methadone.

CDL licenses are required for vehicles over 26,000 pounds or that carry hazardous materials or more than 16 people.

The Herald reported this week that many Big Dig workers hit the methadone clinic before heading to the job site. Among them was a trucker for Camdele Trucking spotted getting methadone several mornings before hauling stone in an 18-wheeler for Aggregate Industries, a company that supplies the Big Dig with concrete. Aggregate spokeswoman ancy Sterling said Camdele officials are responsible for the driver. Camdele officials did not return a call.

"It is not an Aggregate Industries Northeast employee nor is it our vehicle," Sterling said of the driver. "AINE expects all of our vendors to comply with every relevant ederal regulation."

Aggregate has already come under fire from Attorney General Tom Reilly and federal officials for allegedly supplying the $14.6 billion project with poor-quality cement and shoddy record-keeping.
Big Dig spokesman Doug Hanchett said vendors such as Aggregate and their subcontractors are responsible for policing their own drivers.

"The vendors that send us supplies, we're not responsible for the actions of their employees," Hanchett said. He added that the Big Dig tests heavy equipment operators and mployees in accordance with federal law.

The safety record on the project is exemplary," Hanchett said
--
Stephanie Almeida
Community Organizer
Somerville Cares About Prevention
617-828-9184

[SuperJunky]

This is absurd. People always think if your on drugs you don't have a job. The stereotype is showing to be untrue so I guess to keep it alive and well they'll pass laws to make it so. There are a lot of people that use methadone to get high but I'm sure there are at least as many that use it to get their lives back together. Chances are this guy is just maintaining on methadone. He's under the influence of methadone but that does NOT mean that he is intoxicated or in any way incapable of performing his job safely. What the hell was going on here, did some ass hole reporter fallow people from the methadone clinic to see what job they held? Or was he there getting his methadone to get trashed and saw a truck driver and thought, I shouldn't be driving so neither should he. As far as I'm concerned the person that did this should be charged with stalking, fired from his job and be deported from the country on a leaky ship. And if the whistle blower here is on methadone as well he should be imprisoned until he cold turkeys the withdrawal and then shot. WTF!

[ontario_opiophile]

This is ridiculous. I take Methadone for pain caused by a few chronic illnesses and health problems. It doesn't impair my judgement or my capability to operate a vehicle. Before Methadone I was unable to function at all. I could only lay in bed and watch TV. Other people in my family take it for pain and they can drive and function properly as well and one of them has never had an accident in 50 years of driving and he's been on Methadone for 8 years. So figure that one out.

Don't get me wrong. I think that SOME people may be a risk to society and to others on the road if they are maintained on Methadone. There could be the odd truck driver who is on maintenance who is on too high a dose and who has a heavy buzz everyday. There may be the odd person who is on the "nod" 24/7 and of course I wouldnt want them operating a motor vehicle or do anything else that would harm anyone else or themselves. For the most part, people on Methadone maintenance are on stable doses and they are in their right mind and just as capable as anyone else, including, people who are not on maintenance. I would share the roadways with MMT patients as long as they were qualified to do the job and on a stable dose of methadone. I think that people who are currently using all kinds of opiates all day long while on MMT should be banned from driving until they are using only methadone.

Maybe everyone who uses anti-depressants should be banned from driving or working. Perhaps the office caffeine junkie should be forced to take the bus to and from work because he's under the influence. Maybe diabetics should all have their licences taken away. Most medications cause some form of impairment. Someone who just drank 12 cups of coffee could be a force to reckon with while on the road. I sure as hell wouldnt want to be near them. Go take their licence pigs! This all comes down to evil assholes trying to pick on junkies who are trying to make a decent life for themselves and their families.

Now that I think of it. Those glazed donuts the pigs eat could cause a temporary spike in blood sugar and send them into a tailspin and impair the hell out of their little drug-naive bodies. I think the solution is to get rid of all those fucking old geezer politicians and republicans and then a normal country will start to appear again and this bullshit hating against good people will stop.

[JunkYardSaint]

Time and time again studies show that Methadone, as used in treatment schedules for narcotic dependence produces no significant effect on measures of human skills performance. Epidemiological data are contradictory though the suggestion is that the involvement of the narcotic analgesic drugs in automobile accidents is unlikely to be a source of significant concern. That there are people guilty of pursuing these cases, and the fact that it remains unlawful, proves that most people continue to hold the prejudice that methadone patients are 'getting high" or as so many like to put it "substituting one drug for another". Stable methadone patients are neither high nor are their motorskills and ability to drive or operate machinery comprimised. It is sad to see such ignorance prevail.

[opiobsessed]

This reminds me of how the F ing dea is trying to destroy America's right to enjoy a pain free, liveable life. I get so enraged the more I read about how this country is going to hell fast. Vote hicktard out of office and save our freedom people!!!!!!!! before its too friggin late! I can't believe the sad state of the US these days. Ever since useless got into office this country went right in the toilet! I would vote a woman into office if she supported drug use!! anything is better than Bush

[xxanxx]

Originally Posted by ontario_opiophile

This is ridiculous. I take Methadone for pain caused by a few chronic illnesses and health problems. It doesn't impair my judgement or my capability to operate a vehicle. Before Methadone I was unable to function at all. I could only lay in bed and watch TV. Other people in my family take it for pain and they can drive and function properly as well and one of them has never had an accident in 50 years of driving and he's been on Methadone for 8 years. So figure that one out.

Don't get me wrong. I think that SOME people may be a risk to society and to others on the road if they are maintained on Methadone. There could be the odd truck driver who is on maintenance who is on too high a dose and who has a heavy buzz everyday. There may be the odd person who is on the "nod" 24/7 and of course I wouldnt want them operating a motor vehicle or do anything else that would harm anyone else or themselves. For the most part, people on Methadone maintenance are on stable doses and they are in their right mind and just as capable as anyone else, including, people who are not on maintenance. I would share the roadways with MMT patients as long as they were qualified to do the job and on a stable dose of methadone. I think that people who are currently using all kinds of opiates all day long while on MMT should be banned from driving until they are using only methadone.

Maybe everyone who uses anti-depressants should be banned from driving or working. Perhaps the office caffeine junkie should be forced to take the bus to and from work because he's under the influence. Maybe diabetics should all have their licences taken away. Most medications cause some form of impairment. Someone who just drank 12 cups of coffee could be a force to reckon with while on the road. I sure as hell wouldnt want to be near them. Go take their licence pigs! This all comes down to evil assholes trying to pick on junkies who are trying to make a decent life for themselves and their families.

Now that I think of it. Those glazed donuts the pigs eat could cause a temporary spike in blood sugar and send them into a tailspin and impair the hell out of their little drug-naive bodies. I think the solution is to get rid of all those fucking old geezer politicians and republicans and then a normal country will start to appear again and this bullshit hating against good people will stop.

I also take methadone for chronic pain, and it helps me to live a semi-normal life; without it I would not be able to function. Mind if I ask exactly what you take it for?

[lolleedee]

This is sooooo stupid!!!! It would be ok for the truck driver to be driving undr the influence of oxycontin if he had a script for it, right? Well, last time I checked, if he is getting his meth from a clinic, then a Dr. prescribed it for him too so what is the difference? He is probably safer than most drivers out there! I think more people "nod" on the road from lack of sleep than from drugs, too! When is this country going to come to its senses reguarding the use of medication to treat pain and addiction? I also thought that the main purpose of MMT is to help you get your life back. Well, how are people like the truck driver in the article going to do that if there are road blocks thrown in their way regarding employment? grrrrrrrrrrrr!!! This crap makes me so mad!

[duke_nemmerle]

Originally Posted by lolleedee

This is sooooo stupid!!!! It would be ok for the truck driver to be driving undr the influence of oxycontin if he had a script for it, right? Well, last time I checked, if he is getting his meth from a clinic, then a Dr. prescribed it for him too so what is the difference? He is probably safer than most drivers out there! I think more people "nod" on the road from lack of sleep than from drugs, too! When is this country going to come to its senses reguarding the use of medication to treat pain and addiction? I also thought that the main purpose of MMT is to help you get your life back. Well, how are people like the truck driver in the article going to do that if there are road blocks thrown in their way regarding employment? grrrrrrrrrrrr!!! This crap makes me so mad!

me too lollee, I'm infinitely frustrated with the drug policy in this country. I wish so much that I Had the means to move somewhere that's more free

The only issue I see is whether workers, including truck drivers, are working "under the influence" of any substance, including alcohol. We all know the difference between somebody who is taking a medication responsibly and somebody who is intoxicated. I don't know that the current drug policy follows the same logic or wants to acknowledge the difference. Working intoxicated in definitely wrong, especially when you put peoples lives at risk. Discriminating against somebody who is honestly trying to get their life back together is not even close to being ethical. Maybe, just maybe, there is a different reason for it. If they take a "junkie's" livelyhood away, maybe we will wash away with the rain. It may be easier to continue a junkie lifestyle than to function in today's society with some of the hurdles that seem to be intentionally put into place. What keeps that same employee from getting intoxicated on something else like alcohol? The alcohol is not picked up during the drug screening process, and is not prescribed or used for treatment of any kind. It also happens to be readily available. It doesnt matter what drug you are doing if your soul purpose is to get intoxicated, you shouldnt be in a position where you are putting peoples lives at risk.

[blackdog]

all these pencil pushers down at the state buildings need to see is an article like this and they will come up with some more hoops for us to jump thru.bad enoughf with my cdl that even when i'm in mycar,just because i have a cdl that im subjected to a less level of dwi as compared to a regular driver without cdl endorsement even when in my car . okay here goes one more time ..because i have a cdl whendriveing if i'm chked out for dwi one beer will get me screwd fer dwi but if the next guy who doesnt have a cdl endorsement on his license he,s alowed 2 cans a beer or drinks do u understand what im trying to say and now i just got three pages from the motor vehicle dept saying that if anyone with cdl gets more then two summons in a six month period for any motor vehicle infractions we will lose/get suspended fer 6 months and so on it get worse as you progress.
hey drug addicts or not whatever.truckers are some of the safest drivers on the roads esspecially when in there cars. we know what can happen if things get out of hand.shit i haull 80,000 lbs of materials thruout my day and there aint too many second chances if u fuck up. we see firsthand what happens to those who fuck up big time ,even small time life is a privlidge oh well my rant is over for now peace all da/dawg

i agree blackdog that all drivers across the board should have the same DUI test. One beer isn't that much different than two. We've all been guilty of driving under the influence I would suspect. We just all haven't been caught. There's also different degrees of being trashed. Some of us know better than to drive after going over our personal limit. That is still debatable. I personally can't afford a DUI, because driving is my livelyhood, so I choose not to drive under the influence anymore. A good friend of mine before he died, wrecked 3 cars in a matter of 2 months while he was on H. It seemed like common sense to me that maybe, just maybe that was a bad idea to shoot and drive at the same time. But unfortunately for him, he risked shooting and driving and ended up on the losing end every time. The kid was brilliant, but lacked common sense. As far as methodone goes you shouldn't be nodding out while driving, but then again you shouldnt be nodding out period, whether its from lack of sleep or whatever. I would also have to agree that the professional drivers tend to be better drivers over all. Still can't drive when youre asleep at the wheel though. It all goes back to "abuse" or "maintenance." How could a company or the gov't tell the difference between the two? That would be the next question. Every junkie is different.

[blackdog]

amen zombiewolf i hear ya i did!!!!!!you sound like a professional truckdriver like myself. professional meaning proficient at what one does fer a living????or while earning a living wink- wink /nudge -nudge peace da/dawg

[poppy]

Re: "Dig drivers violate law: Methadone prohibited by federal drug rules" - Boston Herald
I pretty much agree with majority view here in that as long as the methadone is prescribed to the person driving for maintainence or pain or whatever rather than bought on the black market for intoxication then its ok. I take methadone every day and it has never wasted me in the way gear does, or filled the psychological hole the heroin has left behind (hence I'm still not clean)it just seems to stop me withdrawing and lets me lead a normal life or as normal a life as possible
I'm not sure what the law is in the uk but it doesn't look good. My boyfriend was banned from driving for drink driving which he deserved and I don't condone in any way shape or form, anyway at the end of the ban he had to pay for a medical to prove that he was no longer an alcoholic,(which he isn't). Any way he duly went for this medical, which cost about £80 to include the new license, where they gave him the once over took blood etc, and at the moment we still havent heard back. Its been a while so I suspect that they aren't going to give him his licence back because of the meth. We've asked about and it seems to be a grey area. Our drug worker is looking into it and she thinks that if the doctor who prescribes his methadone ok's him to drive and informs the DVLA of her decision that he will get his license back. We'll just have to wait and see. Aside from this his job is as a building site forklift driver (one of those massive yellow tonka toy looking things not a little warehouse one) which also requires a license which he has just had updated luckily at the moment they don't screen building site workers for drugs, so at least he's still got his job.laters Poppyx

[Coddfish]

But it's ok to be on amphetamines? (I have heard that is quite common with truckers.) The problem with figuring out whether a person is using or abusing goes to the heart of privacy concerns in this country. It connot be done without raiding medical records or spying--unless it's volunteered, I suppose.
Two things:the f'n done clinics need to do their F'N JOBS!! and help people get stable and where they want to be. If that were the real case, then these issues would slowly fade. As it is, my state has seen a rash of auto accidents over the past few years that have been attributed to done. I actually personally know of one person who nodded out at the wheel who was on a very high dose just a few weeks after signing on to a clinic. That clinic is notorious for pushing really high doses onto people that don't need them and don't want them. She made the papers, and it made every done patient look like a pariah.
And, two: the gov't needs to butt out of medical issues that are between a docter and patient. Politicians don't know anything more about this-- or anything else!--than the rest of us. (except corruption maybe) Even when people are following the letter of the law, these buttnuts in office f with them. If the clinics would do their jobs, things would eventually get better. Would it be so bad if drug treatment professionals helped politicians make informed decisions on drug policy? The professional input couldn't make things much worse than they are. Maybe that would push the government into thowing us lowly addicts an f' bone.

[Opiyum]

In the interest of being different Im going to say that I support this Act whole-heartedly. I see nothing wrong with it at all. What freedoms have they taken? Whose privacy have they violated?

Take this seriously and I will be terribly disappointed.