Hi, Greatings from Alabama

I would like to introduce myself. You can call me Whitey, I am 39, have been in MMT fo almost 10 years now. I have a beautiful family, am things have been getting progressively better since the change, as we call it.

Anyway, The reason I am reaching out now is that like alot of people, I am looking for work, I am a skilled tradesman and am very reliable. Soooo, I was offered a job. Sent to take a physical. The DR.'s office knew I had a Rx, but sent a positive result to the company anyway. My clinic director sent various letters and such to the dr. to no avail. She wrote me a positive letter about how I have been clean for over 7 years and how MMT does not affect mental or physical ability. Soooo, the company told me that it was their policy not to hire anyone who is on methadone, or has ever used methadone. This was reiterated by another higher up.

There is more, but I am sure you get the picture. This has happened before, but never has anyone so blatantly come out and said this was the reason.

Does anyone know what to do or who to contact? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. W

Hello. I am glad you found us and have joined the forum. I am sorry you are having that kind of treatment.

I just can't believe they flat out came out and said it was because of the methadone! Even though you have been on it for over 10yrs and had a note from the doc. I would suggest you contact the EEOC (Equal Employement Opportunity Commission) Their website is http://www.eeoc.gov/ and they have a lot of info about disability discrimination. There is also a link to file a complaint. IF I am not mistaken, MMT and addiction is considered a disability. I know ppl can actually file for and rec disability benefits because they suffer with addiction and/or are on MMT. MMT is no different from diabedics on insulin or hypertensive pts on blood pressure meds. They can not descriminate because you take a legally prescribed medication.

ALSO I would keep a record of everything that has happened so that you have it totally documented.

You also might talk to a lawyer and see what they say. Most don't charge for a consult and you can get laws specific to your state and such.

This really just gets me! I had to reread what you said to make sure I read it right. One thing I was wondering about, methadone doesn't show up on a "regular" drug test. It doesn't test pos as a opiate so they either had to specifically test for it OR if you were upfront about it before the test then they were just going by you being honest about taking it. Do you know if it is standard on their test?

BTW, my name is RuthAnn, I moderate for the forum and I too have been on MMT for over 10yrs so if you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. I am glad to see you on the forum and hope to hear from you again soon.

PLEASE keep me posted about what you decide to do.

Good morning whitey,
My name is Dee and I am the Director of our organization. Like RuthAnn I couldn't belive what I was reading.
To discrminate against you purely because you are a patient of MMT is not right. I also have a link and some information to share with you.


Workplace Drug Testing

• Employers are permitted to test both job applicants and employees for illegal use of drugs, and may refuse to hire—or may fire or discipline—anyone whose test reveals such illegal use.
  
• Employers may not fire or refuse to hire any job applicant or employee solely because a drug test reveals the presence of a lawfully used medication (such as methadone).
  
• Employers must keep confidential information they discover about an employee’s use of lawfully prescribed medications.
  

The link below is to the SAMSAH/CSAT webiste, please read the information there as well as the link that RuthAnn already gave to you. You have done nothing wrong, and for them to treat you the way they have is unexcusable.

http://csat.samhsa.gov/publications/content.aspx

Documentation of what was done and said is very important so whatever you do, please remember to keep a record of everything.
Good luck Whitey!

Thanks for the responses and information. as for how they tested positive, alot of companies use a 10 panel test which screens for methadone and Valium as well as crystal meth and some others instead of the old 5 panel. I always wait to see what test they are planning to use before volunteering any information. I went this morning to try to get something in writing, but the people I spoke with earlier were not available to me. They actually brought out 3 guys, 2 very big and one who looked like a lawyer to talk with me. I said that I needed a paper for my unemployment claim, which wasn't exactly false. The paper said the stuff about company policy and such. Needless to say they wouldn't sign it. I probably won't hear from anyone but their attorney from now on. I am currently looking into legal avenues to pursue.
All I wanted was a job, know what I mean?

GOOD FOR YOU for taking a stand for yourself! It is wrong for them to do that to you on SO many levels. Please keep us updated on how it's going and the most important thing know that we are here for you and we will support you and sand behind any way we can. Our contact info is below my name so do not hesitate to ask!