I couldn't believe it....

[futurerx212]

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I just found out that a girl that helped me start a pre-pharm club at my school is on drugs. She pops several xanax bars a day, does cocaine, and smokes pot. I had no idea. I went to visit her at her house and she openly talked about how many pills she had popped that day and about the "good stuff" that she had just gotten. I do not know how to react to something like this. She is a pharm tech and is applying to pharmacy school next year. I hate to say it, but she needs to be stopped. What do you all think I should do...about her working and about our club??

 

[ageldred]

That's a really tough situation. Did you see her doing the drugs or see drugs at her house? She may have been talking that way to "sound cool." If you truly think she's doing drugs then you could report her to the police or your university. Depending on her job they may have drug testing so you could possibly phone in an anonymous tip. You could also talk to some of your mutual friends about the situation and try to setup something to get her some drug treatment, but that could be pretty difficult. I don't really know what I would do in that situation I've never been faced with it! Good luck!

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

I just found out that a girl that helped me start a pre-pharm club at my school is on drugs. She pops several xanax bars a day, does cocaine, and smokes pot. I had no idea. I went to visit her at her house and she openly talked about how many pills she had popped that day and about the "good stuff" that she had just gotten. I do not know how to react to something like this. She is a pharm tech and is applying to pharmacy school next year. I hate to say it, but she needs to be stopped. What do you all think I should do...about her working and about our club??

Coke, pot, xanax and it's all good stuff!, how much is this Pharm Tech job paying??

If she is using/high while she is at work then she is putting people at potential and you should talk to her and tell her the actions you plan to take if the behavior does not stop immediately. actions being call her employer. Besides that she needs to shut her mouth about her private life unless she is looking for help, talk to her and see what the deal is, express your concerns.

Coke, pot, xanax and it's all good stuff!, how much is this Pharm Tech job paying??

 

[trying4apharmd]

This is a toughy. I found out about a tech at the store that I work at that used pot regularly and would buy lortabs, xanax, and percs (as she called them) illegaly. She may have been on more, I don't know. Her cousin told me this at school not knowing that I worked with the girl. Took me awhile to decide if I should do anything. The girl was pre-pharm as well, but I don't know if she would've been able to get in with her grades anyway. So after about a week I talked to the girl about it some to see her reaction. She practically openly admitted about the xanax, but nothing else. Said she just had to take the edge off because exams were coming up so she bought some but only took one. I work at Walgreens and am a Senior Pharmacy tech so I felt I had no other answer than to tell someone, but I didn't want to seem like a rat. I typed a letter anonymously and put it in my pharmacy managers box (he isn't the type to go talking about people so i knew i could trust him and it was anonymous). He took me and 2 of our other senior techs into the front office and asked us if we had seen anything suspicious about the tech in question. I was the only one who hadn't suspected anything before the cousin told me(I'm so naive), and he said he had even suspected for about a month or two. At walgreens you have to give a drug test before getting hired, after an injury, and if they have a reason to believe you need testing. They asked her to test and she quit the next day before even taking the test. She never really mentioned it to me when I saw her at school, but she didn't come back after that semester either.

 

[nerv12345]

^that's a good example.
there is NO excuse for using coke...even if they're stressed for exams etc.

just make an anonymous call to the pharmacy manager and let them know that you're an acquaintance of ___________ and that you recommend that he/she (the pharmacy manager) give a drug test to __________ or all the other employees as well

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

This is a toughy. I found out about a tech at the store that I work at that used pot regularly and would buy lortabs, xanax, and percs (as she called them) illegaly. She may have been on more, I don't know. Her cousin told me this at school not knowing that I worked with the girl. Took me awhile to decide if I should do anything. The girl was pre-pharm as well, but I don't know if she would've been able to get in with her grades anyway. So after about a week I talked to the girl about it some to see her reaction. She practically openly admitted about the xanax, but nothing else. Said she just had to take the edge off because exams were coming up so she bought some but only took one. I work at Walgreens and am a Senior Pharmacy tech so I felt I had no other answer than to tell someone, but I didn't want to seem like a rat. I typed a letter anonymously and put it in my pharmacy managers box (he isn't the type to go talking about people so i knew i could trust him and it was anonymous). He took me and 2 of our other senior techs into the front office and asked us if we had seen anything suspicious about the tech in question. I was the only one who hadn't suspected anything before the cousin told me(I'm so naive), and he said he had even suspected for about a month or two. At walgreens you have to give a drug test before getting hired, after an injury, and if they have a reason to believe you need testing. They asked her to test and she quit the next day before even taking the test. She never really mentioned it to me when I saw her at school, but she didn't come back after that semester either.

Lucky for me the only drug I abuse is the legal and socially acceptable one.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

^that's a good example.
there is NO excuse for using coke...even if they're stressed for exams etc.

HAHA, are there excuses for using weed and xanax w/o prescription? If you are going to be tough on one illegal drug, at least be consistent and be tough on the rest. Otherwise consider the excuse- "I was really tired and had to study and only took a couple hits of rock."

 

[BrownSound]

Instead of reporting her or taking steps right away, I suggest you talk to her first. If she is your 'friend', you should be there to let her know that this is not cool, and that she is putting her own life in danger along with others. Maybe she is reaching out for help, and try to help her before confronting. If you care about your friend and about the pre-pharm club, then try this first before anything else. And try to be persistent, I don't know much about how to handle drug abuse/addiction, but I am sure there are tons of resources out there. If you report her anonymously, then not only she will lose her job, she might also lose a lot of other things. She might drop out of school, she might become depressed etc etc. Just try to help her out genuinely first. Come on everyone, if you were in her shoes, wouldn't you want a friend to pull you out of the situation?

 

[StringTheorist]

Instead of reporting her or taking steps right away, I suggest you talk to her first. If she is your 'friend', you should be there to let her know that this is not cool, and that she is putting her own life in danger along with others. Maybe she is reaching out for help, and try to help her before confronting. If you care about your friend and about the pre-pharm club, then try this first before anything else. And try to be persistent, I don't know much about how to handle drug abuse/addiction, but I am sure there are tons of resources out there. If you report her anonymously, then not only she will lose her job, she might also lose a lot of other things. She might drop out of school, she might become depressed etc etc. Just try to help her out genuinely first. Come on everyone, if you were in her shoes, wouldn't you want a friend to pull you out of the situation?

I agree. Please talk to her, as a friend and not a parental figure who is shaking your finger at her.
Also, I must add, I do not think it is your place to "turn her in". You can't assume she is taking these drugs while at work or while she is at school. She may be taking them recreationally at home all alone, where it harms no one but herself. It is her decision, and she has the ultimate responsibility here. It is not your place to tell an authority. You are both adults, and though it may be illegal, I suggest you try to reach out to her rather than give up on her. That way, she has incentive to stop and you will not ruin her future. No one wants a preacher as a 'friend'.

 

[Namexxx]

^I agree^ However, I think that as long as she isn't stealing drugs from the pharmacy or showing up to work or driving stoned, then her decision to use drugs is really just her business. a lot of college kids do drugs--plain and simple. i would only step in if it's really obvious that it's affecting her...however, it doesn't sound like it is since you said finding out came as a complete shock. hopefully this isn't a problem and she's just doing all of this for fun. good luck

 

[confettiflyer]

if you weren't there to witness her take these substances, or if you aren't in possession of a valid drug test....then you aren't 100% sure she is doing what she says. These are serious charges you are about to levy. If you feel she is posing a threat to patients, then anonymously tell your supervisor who can then ask for a drug test.

Reminds me of the falsified LOR at St. John Fischer (look for the thread on here).

 

[No1 Pusher]

How did she end up working in retail? Don't they do a drug test before you can work.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

How did she end up working in retail? Don't they do a drug test before you can work.

Most retailers do drug test before they will hire you. But there is a little thing called self control, she probably quit using whatever drugs she was using for a period of time before the interview. If she is doing good work in school and at work and not showing up intoxicated or tired all the time, leave her personal choices alone. She did choose to tell you about her choices so I guess she did leave it up to you to do what you want with the information.

Like others said, talk to her.

 

[binghamkid]

FYI, this makes for a great interview question =) I was actually asked this question during my interviews. It's a good one.

 

[futurerx212]

I have only known this girl for about 3 months and I do know for sure that she is doing drugs. When I went to her house, there was a big jar of pot on the kitchen table. She has also openly admitted that she has been to work stoned. To be honest, I don't think it's all a show. She has been through a lot over the years (death of boyfriend, death of best friend, and emotional and physical abuse by an old boyfriend) and I personally think she is a depressed girl seeking attention. She even told me that she brought one of her professors pot in order to get a good grade. I don't know how true that is but it's still disturbing that she is aspiring to be a pharmacist. Who knows what she would do if she regularly had access to meds.

 

[futurerx212]

Most retailers do drug test before they will hire you. But there is a little thing called self control, she probably quit using whatever drugs she was using for a period of time before the interview. If she is doing good work in school and at work and not showing up intoxicated or tired all the time, leave her personal choices alone. She did choose to tell you about her choices so I guess she did leave it up to you to do what you want with the information.

Like others said, talk to her.

She used someone else's urine to get the job.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

She used someone else's urine to get the job.

Crafty girl this one....If she is working at the pharmacy high and you want to just get the weight off your shoulders, tell the pharmacist in charge or store manager. You could also try and talk to her and have her get help but it doesn't sound like you are close enough with her to actually know if she has quit showing up to work high for sure. If she can't keep her home life out of her job life then bye bye job.

 

[BrownSound]

FYI, this makes for a great interview question =) I was actually asked this question during my interviews. It's a good one.

Same here, but it was part of the UTPAT test from U of T. (You don't have to write PCAT for U of T, you write their own test called University of Toronto Pharmacy Admission Test). They had a ethical dilemmas like these and they wanted to see what you would do in the situation. Its kinda cool actually.

The test also had IQ, and critical thinking components, and a part where they wanted to see originality and creativity, along with personality tests. I enjoyed writing the test.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Get used to it. I PERSONALLY know of 6 kids in my pharmacy school class that used coke. Several more that smoked marijuana. Yet more that abused Adderall for school. Honestly...they were all decent students, too. Especially the ones on the Adderall (obviously..)

Honestly, I don't really have a problem with it from a personal standpoint as long as nobody practices while intoxicated. We let people abuse alcohol and it's pharmacology is kinda sorta similar to Xanax. Both deal in GABA potentiation. Of course legally, it's a different story. I'd just stay as far away from this girl as possible. Unless she's hot....

 

[TheDrugMan]

Here is a piece of advice >>> MYOB MYOB MYOB MYOB MYOB

Worry about yourself. Nobody likes a snitch 🙂

 

[cassiegal21]

The Best thing to do if it bothers you so much is write an a letter to the pharmacy manager. if he test her then great and if he doesn't at least you tried. Then after that stay out of it. If this girl has really been through so much then why do you want to complicate her life more by making her loose her job and possibly hurting her chances of getting into pharmacy school. Which will make her drug problem worse. If she comes to work high/stoned then it is the job of the pharamcy manager/supervisor to notice and do something about it. It is her life and since she doesn't sound like a close friend or anything just let her be.

 

[pharmacyanalyst]

Here is a piece of advice >>> MYOB MYOB MYOB MYOB MYOB

Worry about yourself. Nobody likes a snitch 🙂

 

[aboveliquidice]

It worries me that so many are ready to run off and ruin a career / future over someone's habit - Life should not be handled in such a way...

Talk to her - forward and candidly - about what's wrong with what she is doing. Let her know that she needs to change if she wants to proceed in her chosen profession. At the very least - she needs to learn discretion.

If she refuses to change, ignoring your warnings, then it is time for the anonymous letter. That however, should be a last diitch effort.

~above~

 

[omnione]

I agree that you should at least confront the person about the habit. Drug habits are a pain and sometimes direct intervention is necessary . It's better to intervene now before she applies before she starts to lie about her habit should she get accepted. If she is your friend, then her well-being is partly your business as it is generally a friend's role to offer assistance and hope that the person can change.

However, you need to exercise stronger measures if this person is coked up while working as a pharm tech. People can say what they want about snitching, but I would not want the patients who frequent a pharmacy to get screwed up by some rogue, snorting coke-head who is experiencing some form of false nirvana while doing scripts. Just be sure to be anonymous as there are too many people in the world who equate doing what's right and safe for many with being disloyal.😉