City Proposing Zero-Tolerance Drug Policy
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The City of Jackson is looking to update its drug policy for employees. They’ve had one for the past 20 years, but now they want to crack down on workers who test positive for illegal drugs. Mayor Jerry Gist told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the city has been considering a no-tolerance policy for quite some time, but is just now moving it forward. The city council’s approval is needed to make it become a reality. “All employees of the city are public servants and they should conduct themselves as trusted public servants and this is just another step to really protect our employees and protect the general public,” Mayor Gist said. On Tuesday, the city council is scheduled to consider a resolution to implement a zero tolerance drug policy. Random drug testing of employees has been ongoing for the past two decades. Under the current policy, if an employee tested positive for illegal drugs, the city would pay for them to go to rehab. “From this point on, if you’ve tested positive for drugs, it will be a chance to resign or be terminated,” Gist said. According to the mayor, this past year alone, the city has spent more than $30,000 on rehab for employees. “Rehabilitation is not cheap,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is salvage that employee, salvage the lives if you will. Sometimes rehab works, sometimes it doesn’t.” If the new policy passes Tuesday, employees can still get rehab for alcohol or prescription drugs, just not illegal drugs. The testing will impact all employees – full-time, part-time, temporary, even volunteers. “We want our employees to be fit to do their jobs, and to try to do them well, and that’s difficult to do if you’re on drugs,” said Gist. New interim fire chief Maxie Stewart Jr. hopes the new policy gets approval. “In the fire service it’s a team effort, and if someone on the team is not up to what they need to be doing, it’s dangerous for the rest of us,” Stewart said.
