Mama don't allow no reefer tokin' round here

There is no truth to the rumor that the BC Ferry Workers’ Union has added ‘Reefer Break’ to its next set of contract demands.

But, it wouldn’t be so far-fetched if it were, in light of the findings of the federal investigation into the sinking of the Queen of the North in which two passengers lost their lives. I blogged about the event on March 23, 2006.

Those findings, by the way, ascertained that crewmembers were regular partakers of cannabis sativa when they were on duty. Oh, and by the way, that aforementioned investigation has taken longer to see the light of day than I’m sure an investigation would have taken in any bureaucracy constipated former Soviet republic. Ponderously slow are the powers that be in this red tape and human rights issues constipated country of ours.

I won’t even go into the rumors that two members of the crew were also ‘making the beast with two backs’ in some lovenest when they were supposed to be on the bridge around the time that the big boat collided with an even bigger island that grim night.

Anyway, the findings of the investigation were largely moot, much as most British Columbians suspected. Anybody who knows anything about anybody who works on this (one of the largest ferry fleets in the world) collection of boats also is pretty aware that ‘BC Bud’ is heavily utilized, along with assorted other intoxicants on a frighteningly regular basis.

Even more shocking is the fact that assorted officers have been fully aware for years that the boys and girls sneak off for a joint either between shifts or even while on duty.

Most shocking of all, to me, is the fact that there has never been any mandatory pee-testing in place for the crews.

"We ain't smokin' no reefer, boss, really."
"Oh, well that's OK, then."

Now, I am not suggesting that 100 percent of the crew is ‘bogarting’ joints all over the place, but what I am suggesting is that if even one crewmember is intoxicated while on duty, said crewmember should have his or her ass fired posthaste.

But, say the feds, we won’t call for mandatory drug tests because they might involve violation of human rights. To this I say, I think the two people who died on that fateful night had their human rights violated to the nth degree. They had the right to continued life violated. So I say, screw human rights in this case. The feds, however, let themselves off the hook by saying the employer can bring about such testing, and has every right to.

The corporation, however, is running pants-wetting scared about that possibility. They point out (correctly) that tests for cannabis will run hot for a long time after use (about 20 to 30 days, as a matter of fact). So, they don’t think tests will work. I say, tests will work fine. And how they will work fine is that the use of marijuana is forbidden for those who possess those very highly paid jobs on the BC Ferry Fleet. Is that truly a hardship? If any crewmember thinks so, then said crewmember should maybe consider a little substance abuse counselling.

The thing of it is, the public has to rely on the safety of these craft. Why should my family or I ride on a conveyance that is being crewed by somebody who just might be (as we used to say in the rehab biz) “ripped to the tits” whilst on duty. Airlines, for example, have very tight restrictions on the use of intoxicants, any intoxicants, by crewmembers. And, violation results in firing.

That is exactly as it should be.

And that is exactly as it should be on the BC Ferry Fleet. Anything less than that, then the public can only conclude that its welfare is of secondary concern to both the federal government and the BC Ferries management.