In one Florida county, nicotine is a banned drug
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Flagler County commissioners in Florida are taking a tough new stance against tobacco users looking for work -- by considering nicotine a banned drug.
Beginning Oct. 1, prospective county employees will be required to take a nicotine test in addition to pre-employment drug screening for illegal drugs.
A failed test would not only deny an otherwise qualified applicant a job, but would also prohibit employment with the county for another 12 months.
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"The tobacco ban applies to anything that would produce nicotine," said Joseph Mayer, Flagler County's community services director. That includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, pipes and snuff.
Job applicants also must sign an affidavit stating, under penalty of perjury, that they have not used tobacco within one-year of employment.
"It's the same thing as drug use," Mayer said. "We have a drug-free policy where everyone is tested for drug use before they come on board, and if they start using afterwards we won't know until either a random test or a workers compensation incident."
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