FJ540 wrote:They're the reason I don't have a pilots license. Some guy in a menial position of authority said that if I was ever taking them, then I wouldn't pass a drug test and there was no way of knowing if I was impaired while in control of the aircraft and if he found out I was flying I'd be reported to the FAA because he didn't think I had the judgment to make the decision if I was impaired or not. Character and integrity had no basis in his rationale.
That and 9/11 ended my flight career in 2001.
I've always hated drugs, but we're doing more harm than good with how we're enforcing it.
After my near death injury at work, I had to not only take Oxycodone (for break-thru pain) I had to take Oxycontin every day, just to get through the day. My daily pain level never got below a 5, on their scale. I wasn't flying planes, but my job was to overhaul/repair parts in a shop environment, because after the accident, and then, nearly a year of recovery and intense physical therapy, I was no longer capable of climbing up and around an aircraft. I ended up having to medically retire, because the FAA said I could no longer exercise my A&P Certificates, due to my use of a narcotic substance, even though the airline's workers comp doctors prescribed them.
I never felt impaired, and drove daily with no incidents. As I look back, I wonder what would have happened to me, if I had had a wreck, or had to use my firearm in a self defense situation? Thankfully, I had major surgery in 2013, and after being on the Oxycontin/Oxycodone regimen for nearly 14 yrs, I weaned off of them in less than 6 weeks after my surgery. While I still have some pain on a regular basis, the strongest med I now take are Celebrex and Tylenol. I also have never taken any drug that wasn't prescribed for me. Well, maybe a shot of Jack Daniels or two, on occasion in my younger days