CAT 1 MEDICAL (DRUGS???)

[dreamfleam]

Hello There,

i got no time for people bitchin below about this. I just want the facts. Does the medical test for drugs?

All my pilot friends say the most the dr. does is make you pee in a cup, but its only checking your sugar levels, diabetes & something etc... One has even asked if they check for drugs, and the dr. said no.


So???????

[xchox]

If you have to ask... Time to find another hobby or profession.

[switchflicker]

And if they do...? Got something to hide? If so, I don't want you in my airspace, nor driving my family around. Why ask the medical professionals here on AvCanada, Why not get it straight from your CAME? Hell, phone TC and ask them (after you give them your file number)

[photofly]

No, they don't test for drugs, just diabetes.

[Cessna driver]

And if they do...? Got something to hide? If so, I don't want you in my airspace, nor driving my family around. Why ask the medical professionals here on AvCanada, Why not get it straight from your CAME? Hell, phone TC and ask them (after you give them your file number)

+1



Let me know when your flying, im going to build a bomb shelter

[Sulako]

They test for extra protein in your urine, not drugs. That being said, if you aren't able to show up for work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, then don't show up. I don't care what you do on your time off, but this is still a grown-up occupation with all the rewards and sacrifices that come with it. Are you a grown-up?

[WhiskeyWhiskey]

It's not even that you asked that.

"Hey guys, I've made some not so wise choices in my past, but I would still like to become a pilot. I used to *-------*. Will they test for this? How long before I am clean enough to fly?"

etc etc etc

Instead you come on here like an arrogant dip-shit and put a proud sunglasses wearing smiley face because a doc said no to a drug test.

If you are not even mature enough to write a proper post, and don't take the medical seriously, I wouldn't want to see you in the air sober, let alone on drugs.

[azimuthaviation]

No, they don't test for drugs, just diabetes.

Well they are supposed to. The medical exam is supposed to screen out any applicants who are drug addicts, drunks, or crazy. They do so only by a questionnaire, not by physical examination or by medical history.

[checkremarks]

Hello There,

i got no time for people bitchin below about this.


So???????

Did you actually expect just a "no"? If so, you need to review these forums before you make your second post. Talk about starting off on the WRONG foot.

I don't care if you do drugs on your own time, but there's no room for that in aviation, the second you become suspicion that your on drugs (whether you have or not), your immediately taken off the flight line and investigated innocent or not. You get caught, you can flush your dreams of being a pilot in Canada and USA down the drain.

Ask yourself if this is really worth it.

[black hole]

I asked the Doctor once if he tested for drugs, and he said No. I asked why not. He said it would get too many into trouble ??????

BH

[WhiskeyWhiskey]

If you have to ask... Time to find another hobby or profession.

Amen.

You get caught, you can flush your dreams of being a pilot in Canada and USA down the drain.

Ask yourself if this is really worth it.

This kid hit the nail square on the head.

[checkremarks]

If you have to ask... Time to find another hobby or profession.

Amen.

You get caught, you can flush your dreams of being a pilot in Canada and USA down the drain.

Ask yourself if this is really worth it.

This kid hit the nail square on the head.

How'd you know I was a kid? Should I be worried?

[danishroy]

I always thought they tested for drugs and I was surprised when I wasn't even asked if I use drugs. But either way iv never done drugs because I always knew I wanted to be a pilot. I stayed away when all my friends were smoking up weed, aviation helped me stay away from drugs lol.

[Chaxterium]

I stayed away when all my friends were smoking up weed, aviation helped me stay away from drugs lol.

My god. Aviation makes me WANT to do drugs!

I don't though. For the record.

[DanWEC]

I used to do drugs.
I still do, but I used to, too.

[nine sixteenths]

Google or go the the Transport Canada website and have a look at TP13312E, it is the Transport Canada handbook for Civil Aviation Medical Examiners. In it there is a blank form for the medical, as well as explanations for all the things the CAME is to check (in the first quarter of the booklet is the relevant section)

Also reference CAR 602.03

602.03 No person shall act as a crew member of an aircraft
(a) within eight hours after consuming an alcoholic beverage;
(b) while under the influence of alcohol; or
(c) while using any drug that impairs the person’s faculties to the extent that the safety of the aircraft or of persons on board the aircraft is endangered in any way.

9/16"

[leftoftrack]

People are taking this question too seriously. No they won't check for drugs

[arctic_slim]

The pee test also checks for blood in your urine. I know cause I had a higher than normal count of blood cells in my urine and had to do a follow up test to clear me.

Even if they don't test for drugs, the second any incident happens to you, even if it's not your fault, you're sent straight for a test.
Most companies that I have been thought will do a drug test before they hire you and im not sure if they still these days but I have been randomly drug/alcohol tested too at work with 1 hour notice.

Also, look up Air Tindis last accident involving a Caravan. Im not saying drugs caused the accident but I'm sure it didn't do him any good when it came to judgement.

If you're doing drugs I think you have no place in aviation.

[cncpc]

Up until last year, I also thought they were checking for drugs. The poster above was correct. It is a test for diabetes and an excess of some kind of protein that is excessive when the diabetes becomes problematic.

We have a written drug policy, but we have rarely had an incident of impairment and it was alcohol. I am the manager of that policy. We pre employment test, on reasonable suspicion, and after an accident or incident.

Our prohibition is against impairment, not lifestyles. You will be "bright eyed and bushy tailed" when you come to work, either in the airplane, maintenance, or the ramp. What you have done 12 hours before that is not our concern, so long as you show up for work clear headed. We recognize that 12 hours does not necessarily guarantee that.

Only a breathalyser can detect impairment. A urine test cannot. It cannot even, for instance, detect cocaine use if it was an hour before use, but it can several hours later. We cannot dismiss based on a urine test, because we can only dismiss for impairment in a safety sensitive workplace sector. We would lost in court if we dismissed simply for a positive pee test.

We've never had a positive pre employment test, and we only offer them to the successful applicant. If we had a positive test, and it was for a hard drug, that would be taken as indicating that person had such a current usage that he or she couldn't even refrain for a couple of days before a known test. We would not offer that person the job. If it were a positive for cannabis, we would inquire into the recency of usage, and determine if that usage were while actively flying. If that were so, we would decline to hire that person. If during a non flying time, we would not offer the position until a clean test was given.

We offer the opportunity for pilots to voluntarily test up to two times a year. We make no inference about pilots who don't take the voluntaries. Some people believe such tests presume guilt, are an indignity, and an intrusion into the personal space. That is a valid view to a point. It is why we don't do random mandatory tests. Random tests are against the law, i.e. they contravene human rights legislation. However, the balance changes when there is reasonable suspicion of impairment in the workplace, or after an accident or incident. When that happens, there is an overriding public interest in determining the cause of any impairment. Once again, urine testing does not prove impairment, it only provides some insight into what may cause impairment.

It may be questionable if we can do pre-employment testing, but so far no one has complained. We know we can't do random testing. We are well within our rights to do reasonable suspicion testing.
We respect the rights of our employees to maintain their own lifestyles outside the workplace, to dignity and privacy. They understand that we have a higher responsibility to our passengers, their families, and other crew members and that we unequivocally demand a clear head free of any chemical or other source of impairment in our workplace.

To the lad that posted this thread...

Whatever the debate may be about which drugs are legal and which are illegal, it is a hard truth that impairment and aviation cannot exist together. You want to be a pilot, stay off the drugs and control the alcohol usage. Never mind about tests. You be your own tester. Know there is no chance of any impairing substance in your body.

[Pop n Fresh]

Yes, and when it comes up positive they will your mom. Also they put a chemical in the water that turns bright green if you pee in the hot tub so just don't.

[A321]

Your medical may not "out" your drug use but your autopsy report will. From a Perimeter Medevac accident investigation report….


The toxicology test of the first officer was positive for the presence of cannabinoids (THC) in excess of 50ng/ml. The cutoff levels may vary
from laboratory to laboratory, but a general rule is for a specimen to be considered positive for THC there must be 50ng/ml cannabinoids in the screening immunoassay. There is no Transport Canada regulation regarding testing for drug use in commercial pilots.
The review pointed out that cannabinoids are highly lipophilic, meaning that they are readily stored in fat. For this reason, it is possible for an individual to test positive for cannnabinoids for up to three months after drug use. The measurement of greater than 50ng/ml is quantitative only in so far as it indicates that the concentration of cannabinoids was above the generally accepted positive level in occupational
drug testing. It was impossible to determine the extent of cannabinoid use by the first officer or the timing of such use. Also, it was not
possible to make a link between the first officer's performance during the flight and the level of cannabinoid in his body. It is known that cannabinoid use can adversely affect human performance.

[Heliian]

Oh no not "drugs" again!

coffee, cigarettes, tylenol, advil, crack, meth, weed, nitrous oxide, LSD, adrenaline, alcohol, oxycodone, sugar, zanac, prozak, vicodin, solvents, gasoline, viagra, religion.

Any of the above if abused can lead to impairment and bodily harm. Show up to work sober and alert. What you do in the privacy of your home is your business.

SO, to all of the "perfect" posters here that demonize marijuana and make it sound like a career killer, what are you going to say when it's legal? It's already legal in some places and it won't be long till it reaches here.

The report from A321 makes no conclusions as to impairment and says the he tested right at the threshold, he could have been a heavy user of hemp products for all we know.

[Oxi]

Who will be the guinea pig that takes vacation and smokes up legally. Unfortanely comes home and has a accident/incident and the company takes you for a drug test. They aren't impaired on the flight but have it in the system from previous days.

[Sidebar]

Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Policy on Alcohol and Drug Testing
http://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/sites/defaul ... da_eng.pdf

[xchox]

SO, to all of the "perfect" posters here that demonize marijuana and make it sound like a career killer, what are you going to say when it's legal? It's already legal in some places and it won't be long till it reaches here.

I am fairly sure it will be treated the same way alcohol is treated... Most likely with a longer gap than 8 hours. Who knows.