[nervousnurse]

Hello, I was wondering if most health care employers look for nicotine in pre-employment drug screenings?

[pricklypear]

I wouldn't think so. It isn't illegal.

[sirI]

Originally Posted by pricklypear

I wouldn't think so. It isn't illegal.

Word for word what I was gonna say.......

[Balder_LPN]

Originally Posted by pricklypear

I wouldn't think so. It isn't illegal.

There are employers now who will not hire smokers, their reasoning is that it saves on health insurance plans.

I'll see if I can find some examples here somewhere...........

[ERNurse752]

I've never seen nicotine as part of a drug test. But you never know...

[pricklypear]

Originally Posted by Balder

There are employers now who will not hire smokers, their reasoning is that it saves on health insurance plans.

I'll see if I can find some examples here somewhere...........

Wow, do they have a weight cut off? What if you're diabetic? History of CAD? My last employer gave you a 15$ a month break on insurance for being a non smoker. But they didn't test you for nicotine.

[sharann]

How about me? I take nicotine replacement to stay off smoking. Yep its a drug, a legal one, and I don't smoke it. I WOULD test positive for it though.

[pickledpepperRN]

A woman who occasionally smokes cigarettes has filed a sexual discrimination complaint against her former employers, saying she was fired for smoking off the job while male workers who did the same thing were not.
http://www.chron.com/content/chronic...smoke.2-0.html

A nurse says he was fired from St. Joseph's Hospital in North Philadelphia for refusing to take a patient outside to smoke a cigarette.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/2723300/detail.html

Michigan health care company has strict
anti-tobacco policy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6870458

Trend: You smoke? You're fired!
http://www.usatoday.com/money/compan...oke-usat_x.htm

[sunnyjohn]

Last I heard, cigarettes are not illegal.

BUT, I have heard of a few employers that have enacted no smoking policies for workers. They first gave the employees a year or so to quit using comapny sponsered programs. Later they dropped smokers from the health plan and finally they let those who could not quit go.

It's been all over the news.

I sure hope they don't go after fat people next, 'cause even though I exercise three times a week, I still have a spare tire, a lot of junk in the trunk and a pair of oversized headlights.

[shadowflightnurse]

The laws vary state to state on drug testing. Nicotine is usually not included, but that's not to say the employers may not start testing for it. As far as it being legal, not all of the drugs tested for are not illegal. For example, if I have a prescription for Percocet (for example) and take a drug test guess what's going to come back positive. You should disclose ANY medication your have recently taken. There are many "legal" OTC meds that can cause a false positive on the drug screen.