A single mother fired by Tesla for testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, has been angered by CEO Elon Musk's decision to smoke pot on a podcast. Mr Musk smoked the joint while appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Host Joe Rogan pulled out a joint midway through the show, and Mr Musk asked, "Is that a joint or a cigar?" When Rogan asks if he has ever had it, the Tesla boss says he has tried only once - so Rogan offered Mr Musk a hit. After a while it took hold, and Mr Musk began to take his time responding to questions and spoke very slowly. Crystal Guardado worked at Tesla for four months and was fired after testing positive for THC, but she believes the company's drug policy is used to remove problem employees. "It was just like a slap in the face to me and my son," Ms Guardado told Bloomberg. "Elon Musk is just smoking it out in the open, knowing that he uses his very vague drug policy as a way to fire people that are a threat to him." Ms Guardado said she had told her employers about eye drops that could lead to her testing positive for THC, and she believes she was actually fired for being vocal about safety issues and supporting the union. Musk told The Guardian on Friday employees at Tesla won't necessarily be fired straight away for testing positive to THC, as company policy allows for trace amounts in the body during work hours. Newshub.<doc-sep>In a video recording of podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” this week, Tesla TSLA, +2.39% chief executive officer Elon Musk appears to smoke marijuana. Host Joe Rogan asked Musk, “You probably can’t [smoke that] because of stockholders, right?” The answer is complicated. Like many companies, Tesla reportedly drug tests employees who operate machinery in the factories that build its electric cars, according to forums on job site Indeed. As marijuana is legalized in more states, some employers have discussed eliminating the cannabis test and only looking for use of harder drugs, but many continue to do so for employees. Should executives who operate $57 billion companies be subjected to the same restrictions? Musk referenced this legal issue in the podcast before hitting the joint, saying, “I mean it’s legal, right?” and Rogan replies, “It’s totally legal.” Rogan and Musk are based in California, which this year became the largest U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of weed. (Tesla did not respond to requests for comment). “ ‘I feel the journey to the C-Suite is rigorous enough to weed any such irregularities out.’ ” — Vishal Agarwal, author of ‘Give to Get: A Senior Leader’s Guide to Navigating Corporate Life’ Last year, states that had not legalized marijuana tested for that substance in 98% of employee blood samples, according to Sample and Quest Diagnostics, a Madison, N.J.-based company that provides national clinical laboratory tests on potential and/or current employees. In Colorado, which legalized marijuana in 2014, 96% of tests including marijuana. For C-suite executives, it’s a different story. Drug testing of executives remains rare, according to Vishal Agarwal, author of “Give to Get: A Senior Leader’s Guide to Navigating Corporate Life,” and former managing director of development and investments for General Electric Africa GE, +2.13% . He said drug testing outside the U.S. is very uncommon and in most countries it is unheard of in a white-collar environment. Drug testing is most commonly carried out on blue-collar workforces, including on the floors of factories, he said. “I have never heard of [drug testing an executive] in my 25-year global experience,” he said. “I feel the journey to the C-Suite is rigorous enough to weed any such irregularities out. The career life becomes a ‘sufficient drug test.’” Don’t miss: Want to invest in cannabis companies? Watch out for rogue players Here's how to invest in cannabis through ETFs In his book “Workplace Interventions,” Michael R. Frone, senior research scientist at State University of New York at Buffalo, argues they should. “If an organization has an alcohol and drug testing program, then testing should include all levels of the organization,” he said. “Substance use problems can exist at all levels of an organization, and senior executives can more broadly damage an organization than the typical employee.” Illicit drug use has been tied to absenteeism, lost productivity, workplace accidents, and injuries, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.The ramifications are particularly pronounced for blue collar workers, who may operate heavy machinery and be more prone to a serious accident. “ Addiction problems were the 8th most common red flag when spotting fraud and misconduct in companies. ” However, drugs still cause problems for employees higher up the ladder, argues Frone. Some 70% of financial corruption cases involved someone in authority, according to a 2018 report from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 38% of which were managers and 32% were owners or executives. Addiction problems were the 8th most common red flag when spotting fraud and misconduct, the study showed. Musk’s reported recreational drug use was previously called into question when he abruptly declared on Twitter TWTR, +1.49% he would convert Tesla from a publicly traded company to a private one, selling it at $420 a share (the number is a common joking reference to marijuana). Musk has previously said that drugs were not involved in this tweet. The board of Tesla is aware that Musk has “on occasion used recreational drugs,” a New York Times report said. Rapper Azealia Banks publicly accused Musk of tweeting after taking the psychedelic drug acid. Kara Swisher, a tech reporter, said many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are now using psychedelic drugs like mushrooms, LSD, and the hallucinogen DMT in addition to weed to stoke creativity and innovation. Of course, many executives do use drugs, and it doesn’t always hurt their careers. One recent high-profile example is President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who battled cocaine and alcohol addiction in the 1990s that forced him to take a four-week medical leave from Bear Stearns. Prior to the leave he skipped a speech before 200 investors in 1994. He later went to a residential rehabilitation program for six months and said he is sober now. Also see:Americans struggling with opioid addiction miss 50% more work than everyone else The global drug screening market is expected to continue to grow 10% in the period between 2017 and 2025, according to figures released last month by market intelligence company Business Industry Reports. The rise is fueled primarily by workplace drug testing, it said. “ Of all drug testing carried out by Quest Diagnostics, 70% are pre-employment drug testing of job applicants. ” Of all drug testing carried out by Quest Diagnostics, 70% are pre-employment drug testing of job applicants, and another 15% is random testing of existing employees. The remaining tests are generally conducted after an accident to determine if drugs played a role, according to Barry Sample, director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics. The most common drug test includes five classes of substances: amphetamines, opiates, marijuana, cocaine, and PCP, making up about 50% of the total tests, Sample said. Some tests also check for barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone, or prescription drugs like opiates. Hospitals or dental offices may test employees for prescription drugs if drugs go missing. Some pre-employment drug testing has been questioned for potentially enabling discrimination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued companies for discrimination after they rescinded job offers to people who “failed” drug tests, when the people were actually taking the drugs for legitimate reasons like treating a disability or opioid addiction.<doc-sep>
An ex-Tesla employee who says she was fired for testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana, called CEO Elon Musk's decision to smoke marijuana during an interview a "slap in the face." Crystal Guardado, a single mother, told Bloomberg News that she worked at Tesla's Fremont, Calif., manufacturing center for four months before being dismissed. Guardado said Musk and Tesla use a "vague" drug use policy to target and punish employees who are seen as a "threat." Guardado told the outlet that her use of doctor-recommended drops could make her test positive for the drug, a condition she says she told the company about prior to her termination. “It was just like a slap in the face to me and my son,” Guardado said. “Elon Musk is just smoking it out in the open, knowing that he uses his very vague drug policy as a way to fire people that are a threat to him." ADVERTISEMENT Guardado told Bloomberg that she believes she was fired for being vocal about safety concerns and for her support of the United Auto Workers union. Tesla denied to Bloomberg that it had fired anyone for supporting the union. Tesla representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill on Guardado's claims. Musk told podcast host Joe Rogan on his show, "The Joe Rogan Experience," that he was not a regular user of the drug and maintained that he didn't usually notice the drug's effects. Shares of Tesla stock slid Friday following Musk's appearance on the podcast and amid the departure of the company's chief accounting officer, Dave Morton, who left after just a month on the job. Morton cited the company's public scrutiny in his letter tendering his resignation. Tesla has battled negative headlines surrounding Musk's behavior, including a reported Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Musk's stated intention on Twitter to take the company private. “Since I joined Tesla on August 6th, the level of public attention placed on the company, as well as the pace within the company, have exceeded my expectations,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “As a result, this caused me to reconsider my future. I want to be clear that I believe strongly in Tesla, its mission, and its future prospects, and I have no disagreements with Tesla’s leadership or its financial reporting,” he added.