I do not know if I should report them and to who. I have noticed when I visit and park on a parking lot in the rear of the building, I have seen caregivers sitting in their cars with windows rolled down and there is a strong scent of pot in the air.
I believe the workers are smoking pot on the job, then returning to care for the residents, manage medications, bathe them and tend to their needs. I find this obviously upsetting and unacceptable.
What is ironic is that the Executive Director recently admonished my parents about drinking wine in the privacy of their room. However, she is not managing her employees to appropriate standards. I wrote a separate post on that.
What would you do? I question the quality of care now. Thanks
Using cannabis in any form (smoking, vaping, edibles, oil) is exactly the same thing as drinking on the job. If people are doing it while driving, that is the same as drunk driving and they get a DUI.
Pot - Alcohol = Same Rules.
Hopefully, you live in a state where smoking weed (unless it's for medical use) is illegal.
So, here's what I'd do. If I smelled weed burning in the parking lot of a care facility by the employees of that facility, I'd pull out a phone and make a video. Then that video would go straight to the police. It would also go to the state's Ombudsman with an explanation that the staff gets high on the job. In fact, the AL probably has cameras in the parking lot. Go to the cops.
Bring it to the administrator of the facility last. They know what's going on with their employees, but won't do anything about it. They know they can't personally make a big deal if the people baking in the parking lot are foreign or a racial minority. These two groups are what makes up most of the care staff in nursing homes and AL facilities. So if they get called out, they put away the weed and head straight for a civil attorney's office.
So deal with the police and the Ombudsman. Let them address this matter.
I did an online search and found an ombudsman for the county. I guess I feel like I am more likely to be punished for reporting. I hate to have my parents get the brunt of a tattle tale daughter. Also, with the attitude the ED displayed I do not think anyone there is an ally of mine. I find it sad when we have to accept treatment that just does not feel right.
I had another one vaping in the house. Not sure if tobacco or weed. I fired her for other things.
Good luck,
It's not your opinion weed being the same as drinking on the job. That's the law in the states where it's legal for recreational use.
38 states allow medical marijuana use at work
8 states allow recreational marijuana use at work,
CA, CT, MT, NV, NJ, N.Y., RI, WA
* Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont workers are protected, but through State Supreme Court rulings and not legislation.
https://www.ncsl.org/health/cannabis-and-employment-medical-and-recreational-policies-in-the-states
For example you wouldn’t want your surgeon high on pot while doing surgery . Or any healthcare worker in general ,
Your pilot , air traffic controller , school bus driver, etc . where the employee has other’s lives in their hands .
That’s a lot different than the guy stocking shelves in the supermarket who smokes it on his break .
There would be no way for admin to know what they were smoking .
You can certainly complain , I would be upset as well . However , I believe the result may be that they ban smoking on campus and then these employees will be like the ones at the end of my street so admin does not have to manage it in the parking lot .
Like already said , you could ask if they do random testing , or if they test if someone notices pot smell on them when they come back from break .
No workplace would allow that on premises. Even in states where it’s legalized, it’s like alcohol. Legal to have but not legal to drink on the job. And facilities usually drug test employees at some point.
Neither would I want any LO of mine to be caregiven by an addict. How can a caregiver give their best care when they are coming down off a high and all they want is the next hit of nicotine or other drug? Would I want my LO subjected to the mood swings of someone craving their addictive substance? Of course not.
OP, you are right to be concerned. If that’s going on in what should be a safe place for your LO, you should take it very seriously.
I personally wouldn't want someone high on anything looking after my loved one.