Mojo In The Morning

Got High While at Work

15 min
Mar 10, 2026about 1 month ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

The hosts of Mojo In The Morning discuss the prevalence of employees getting high at work across various industries in Michigan. Through caller testimonies, they explore workplace marijuana use among construction workers, food service employees, ride-share drivers, healthcare workers, and automotive manufacturing staff, examining safety concerns and varying workplace policies.

Insights
  • Marijuana use during work hours is widespread across blue-collar and service industries, with employees reporting regular consumption during breaks and shifts
  • Workplace safety policies vary dramatically by industry—automotive manufacturing enforces zero-tolerance with undercover enforcement, while other sectors show minimal oversight
  • Employees rationalize workplace marijuana use through medical justifications, productivity claims, and comparisons to alcohol consumption, though safety risks remain unaddressed
  • The normalization of workplace cannabis use reflects broader cultural shifts in states like Michigan where medical marijuana is legal and socially accepted
  • Industries involving machinery operation, food preparation, and elder care present significant liability and safety concerns when employees work under the influence
Trends
Normalization of cannabis consumption during work hours across multiple industries in legalized statesWorkplace enforcement disparities—strict policies in automotive/manufacturing vs. minimal oversight in food service and constructionEmployees using medical marijuana cards as legal justification for on-the-job consumptionRise of cannabis use among gig economy workers (Uber/Lyft drivers) with minimal oversight mechanismsHealthcare workers (CNAs, caregivers) integrating cannabis use into shift work routines, particularly during overnight shiftsConstruction and building trades showing high prevalence of on-site marijuana use despite safety risksGenerational shift in workplace drug culture—cannabis replacing alcohol as preferred substance during work breaksLack of reliable impairment testing creating enforcement gaps compared to alcohol DUI standards
Topics
Workplace marijuana use and safety policiesMedical marijuana caregiving and legal protectionsAutomotive manufacturing zero-tolerance drug policiesConstruction industry workplace safety and substance useFood service employee conduct and food safetyHealthcare worker impairment and patient safetyGig economy driver substance use and passenger safetyMichigan medical marijuana laws and workplace implicationsWorkplace drug testing and enforcement mechanismsCannabis impairment vs. alcohol DUI legal standardsEmployee productivity claims related to cannabis useWorkplace liability and insurance implicationsOdor detection and workplace enforcement challengesShift work and substance use patternsGenerational attitudes toward workplace drug use
Companies
Ford
Caller Sarah works at Ford plant building Rangers and Broncos; company enforces zero-tolerance marijuana policy with ...
Frito-Lay
Caller C operates a chip route selling Frito-Lay products; humorously notes transition from selling weed to selling '...
Uber
Caller Erica works as Uber driver and admits to smoking marijuana while driving; hosts express concern about passenge...
Quotes
"She about to be at work high as hell. Who else at work high?"
Kevin/HostEarly segment
"Weed doesn't make you stupid. Like, it really makes you think better. It stimulates your mind, man."
Erica (Uber driver/fish market worker)Mid-episode caller segment
"I smoke from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. I don't really know when I'm not high."
Jennifer (CNA)Late-episode caller segment
"I will say this. There are some people that work and live their lives better because of marijuana. And then there are the majority of the others."
HostPost-Jennifer discussion
"If you're supposed to drive within eight hours of smoking, that's still a DUI."
HostLegal clarification segment
Full Transcript
Hi, listeners. I'm Anna Sinfield, the host of The Girlfriend Spotlight, and I've got some great interviews coming your way. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one, two, three, and four of The Girlfriends, and every single episode of The Girlfriend Spotlight, 100% ad-free, and one week early through the iHeart True Crime Plus subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart-topping true crime shows you love, like Betrayal, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, The Brothers Ortiz, What Happened in Nashville, Hell and Gone, The Godmother, and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today. Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week, we are talking about a monster. Or maybe the woman who refused to be one. I'm sitting down with Maggie Gyllenhaal to unpack her new film, The Bride. And trust me, this isn't your grandmother's Bride of Frankenstein. What I was more interested in was the monstrousness inside of each of us. You can spend your life running from those things, or you can turn around and shake hands with them. Listen to Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Without this group, I'm going to die. Listen to Sino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you feel uncomfortable, what do you put on? Biggie. You put on Biggie when you feel uncomfortable? Because I want to get confident. This is DJ Hester Prince's Music is Therapy. A new podcast from me, a DJ and licensed therapist. 12 months, 12 areas of your life. Money, love, career, confidence. This isn't just a podcast. it's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hester-Prince Music is Therapy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. But creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. Now, Kevin yesterday had a family thing he was dealing with, so he had to show late to the show. And when he came late to the show yesterday, he witnessed something in our neighborhood where the radio studios are in Detroit. It's called Eastern Market. You noticed something that you normally don't get to because when we show up to work, it's dark and there's not a lot of activity. But you were here. What did you notice? So I pull up in front of the station. Luckily, there was a parking spot available, but it wasn't enough room. You know those people who like if they back up, it could actually become two parking spots, but they park in the middle. So I roll past a girl who was parked in the middle and I put it in reverse. Back it up, Terry. And she got the hint and then she reversed. And I said, OK, perfect. So I was able to actually park when I get out of the car, walk behind my car, see the front of her car, see her inside. I throw my hand up to say thank you. She's pearling a blunt like she at the finishing stages of rolling it up. Now this isn't the end of the ship This isn't the end of the ship She about to smoke that boy And go back into work And I'm like man She about to be at work high as hell Who else at work high There were some people that used to work on this show That would come high all the time How about people that worked Outside of the show like the Evening show This place would smell like a Frickin Smoke shop I feel like this is a good place to work at if you're high, though. Yeah, because you can kind of play it off. I feel like this is an entertaining atmosphere. Where did she work? Do you think she worked at the corned beef place? Had to. She had one of the hairnets on. Oh, my gosh. She's working with knives. Smoked corned beef. I hope that when she's packaging the corned beef, is packaging more meat than less meat. I want to make sure I get more to my pound. Or is she nibbling? Yeah. Well, could you imagine how hungry? Yeah, she got the munchies. Bite for me, bite there. I always amazed at the people that will take their breaks because you wouldn take your break and then go and just get drunk but they take their break and go get high Well, I mean, I've had a job before where you take lunch, you go get a drink on lunch. Really? That's the American way. A drink, though, is different than like. Oh, yeah. I'm not getting drunk. Right. I'm not coming to get drunk now. You can't come in and all of a sudden you're completely not passing any kind of a test. But I've been to work where, not that I was clearly inebriated, but I wasn't like the most sober person. How about yesterday when we walked down the street to go all hang out? It was loud. That apartment that we walked by, it had to be next door to us. It reeked of weed. I think it was coming from the place that the people work. I didn't think it was the apartment complex. You think it was actually the global people? Yes. Really? 100%. No, I think it was coming from that apartment window that was open. But it ain't all just smells, though. There's some cool kids out here that you don't even know doing. And they're doing it at work. Well, we talked about that yesterday. That's the new thing. It's a real thing. Everybody's doing it. Gail, what's up, Gail? We're talking about getting stoned on the job. Good morning, guys. That's your porta-potty princess calling in. What's happening, Gail? You know, so I'm at all kinds of different job sites servicing porta-potties. And almost all of my job sites, I'm smelling weed. I love Michigan, but can we, like, get a building company that doesn't have a bunch of hotheads? Because I don't necessarily trust that. I hope everybody's getting an inspection done. Well, it is interesting to see how many more people are smoking these days, but it's wild to see when they're smoking. Like, I don't mind if you go home. Like, if I go home after work and I want to have a drink, that's fine. I do think, though, that sometimes on the job it's probably not the greatest idea. No, I'm pulling up to job sites where they're building, like, companies and houses and they're straight up smoking. I'm like, okay, breakfast smells lovely, but let's not do that very work. How many people are building a building and it's a little bit off center? I want to know. I bet you they're leaving you some great treats inside of that port-a-potty. I love my job. It smells lovely. Thank you, guys. You guys have a lovely day. See you, too. Take care. Hey, C, what's going on? Hi, C. Hey, how you doing? Good. We're talking about smoking on the job. Do you do this? Yeah, yeah. I smoke from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. And what do you do? I own a chip route, so I do delivery sales. I own my own truck and trailer. Wait a second. What's a chip route? What is that? I sell potato chips. Frito-Lens. No way. Oh, my God. So you're driving? Yeah, back in the day, I used to sell weed, and now I sell munchies for weed. Do you ever go back into the truck when you're a little hungry? Well, that's what you got outpaged for. Oh, okay. And are we talking Better Made, or what are we talking about? Is it another name brand? Have you ever heard of Uts brand, UTV? Oh, yeah. Is it good? I never heard of it. They've got the cheese balls in the big container. Oh, really? Okay. Cheese balls, a couple rods. Those are my on-the-border tortilla chips. Yeah. Okay. So, like, whenever you buy that stuff, you help out, like, a small local business at the same time, too. Because we all do chip routes and what have you. You help out a small local stoner. That's what you help out. Hey, man. Hey, it works. Hey, how about this one? Sarah, where do you work, Sarah? I work for Ford. And are you building cars? Yeah. So the plant that I work at, I build the Rangers and the Broncos. Okay. And you guys don't smoke there, do you? No. So we have a zero policy when it comes to, you know, smoking weed and everything. And we've actually had undercover cops and our Ford security come to the parking lots and literally bust people, especially if you're smoking in the parking lots. And it's just, you're done. Yeah, and the minute that you come in If our bosses can literally like smell you You're automatically fired So how are you getting away with it? There's people that can get away with it Especially with like perfume and cologne You know, the typical stuff But even that, like they can still detect it Even if it's like edibles and everything else Like they've cracked down a lot Within the last couple years I think that that's probably smart With heavy machinery like that or the vehicles that people are driving. You don't want a safety feature being miscalculated. I always wonder when there are these mass recalls. Is it because the employees are goofing? What's up, Lucy? Hi, can you hear me? I got you. What's going on? Okay. My mom owns a restaurant, and we had just hired this new girl, and she would come in high, and one shift, She was like cutting her finger. She cut her finger. We bandaged it up. And then she cut it again in the same spot within like two minutes And she was because she was high Yeah She was like laughing about it We like are you okay Like you cut yourself at the same place Like how are you not seeing the knife Oh, my God. Well, she's seeing three knives. That's a lot. That's crazy. It's funny, because I've never been that high where I couldn't know what I was doing. I have been that high where I didn't feel the floor. Like, all of a sudden. That was recently. I was walking and I was like, where's the floor at? I can't feel it. But to cut my finger, I think I would feel that. Erica, what's going on? Hi, Mojo. Hey, guys. Hey. Listen, we do not make you do all that crazy stuff. And actually, when you smoke, like, it makes you work better. So I'm getting high. I don't know. Depending on the person, depending on the job. What do you do for a living? Well, right now, I'm an Uber driver, but I worked at a fish market for 20-something years. Yeah. And, baby, on my break, I was getting high. I don't know what to say. You and some salmon hanging out together. And then, look, like, think about it. Even when you're at home and you're getting high, like, you get to clean good and everything. Like, weed doesn't make you stupid. Like, it really makes you think better. It stimulates your mind, man. Does weed make you drive better? Yeah. I think so. I'm more focused when I'm tired. I hope you're not smoking weed, though, in your Uber or Lyft, because I hate the smell of that as a passenger. I don't drive under, you know, airport. Oh, I've had to get out of an Uber. Because they smelled so bad? Because it was so bad. It's brutal. It's in the seats, especially if you've got cloth. You've got cloth seats in your car and you're smoking in there. It's in that seat. What's going on, Jennifer? Jennifer? Hey, I've not called you guys in so long that I don't even remember what we're supposed to say when we haven't talked to you in a long time. First time in a long time? Is that what it is? Yes, that's right. That's it. Jennifer. Or is it because you're high right now? Hold on, hold on. Let's go, Jennifer. Yeah, I think she's a little high. Half of you are high right now. You can't swear like you just did. You cannot swear like you just did. I know. I am so sorry. So I have been a CNA for 20 years. What is that? She's like a nurse or something? What is a CNA? Yeah, yeah. Like I take care of like 100-year-old people. But I went from doing it in a facility to doing it privately. So like I take care of like really older people. And you do it high? Yeah, hell yeah. I mean, well, this is my thing is I don't really know when I'm not high because I smoke from the time that I get up to the time that I go to bed. Now, I don't like, you know, smoke inside the house at work or nothing crazy like that. But, you know, I work sometimes 24, 36 hours with these people and, you know, they'll go to sleep. I'll go outside and smoke and get ready for bed. And I'm lucky enough that I work at a job that our people, even though they're almost 100, they're still trustworthy enough that they'll ring the bell in the middle of the day. the night. They're not going to get up by themselves. So I do have the honor of being able to sleep. Have you ever had it? Have you ever had it where you forgot to do something for them because you were so high and be honest? Oh, never because I was high. Never because I was high. People forget things, you know, waitresses forget ranch sometimes. And they go home thinking about, oh my God, I forgot table number seven's ranch today. That is true. They might not have been high, but also marijuana affects people in different dimensions. I guess you could say like I've, I've also been a medical marijuana caregiver for the last, I don't know, I would say 15 years. So, you know, cultivating and things like that and knowing how it affects you and it affects different people. Like if you have ADHD, it's going to affect you differently than it does me. If you have bipolar or you're manic or different things like that, I think of it. I'm not just getting high. I'm choosing not to take pharmaceuticals. Yeah. Which I'm fine with. I will say this. There are some people that work and live their lives better because of marijuana. And then there are the majority of the others. I think there are some that are just high. That's true. But let's talk about stuff that you can't smell. Let's talk about the pills that people are taking. Right. I get it. Listen, I trust her. The cocaine that the high end folks are doing. Like they're working. I'm so Jennifer. I get it. But if you're taking care of my grandma, I want you at least to not be like, you know. I'm decent though. I'm decent though. nobody could ever come in and tell me what I'm doing. Do you ever give them some of your stuff just because they've been having a hard time sleeping or anything? I, I know, like not on a general concisus and these people don't smoke, but years ago, 10 years back when medical marijuana was really like big in the game, I actually had a job at a position. I was 1099. I would take different clients that they had their medical marijuana because I am a caregiver through the state of Michigan, I can always get rid of my overages. So what I would do was go to these different people houses and sometimes I would have to roll it up for them you know but these were people who had their medical cards These were people who were seeking overages so that they had medicinal um you know their their needs taken care of for the month yeah so it's kind of funny that you said that because i have actually had specific jobs where i went and got high with them would you get in trouble by the state or the feds or something like that if they knew that you are a caregiver and you are high on the job uh no i don't there's nothing that could ever... I have a prescription. I am under a Section 8 medical law. She knows her stuff. So if you're medical marijuana, you're okay doing it. But that medical marijuana driver can't just drive. You can smoke and drive. That does not mean that you can smoke and drive. If you're supposed to drive within eight hours of smoking, that's still a DUI. By the way, I thought when you... She's still talking. I thought that when you smoke, it mellows you out and doesn't make you talk so much. You are unbelievable. Depends on what you're talking. I talk a lot because this is like me sober. You get me real, real high. See, I just woke up. So if you get me real, real high, I might quiet down a little bit, but I'm just a talker anyways. Okay. You're rolling doobies. I'm a good talker. You're smoking backwards. You're doing bongs. What you doing? I'll smoke a backward. I'll roll in with my eyes closed right now. It's funny because I don't know any of the things you're talking about other than doobies. You actually used a phrase at the very beginning of this. Pearl? Yeah, I was like, what is he talking about? I have no idea. It sounded so cool. Can you run across the street and ask the girl in that car to let us have some? Yeah. You ever smoke a corned beef sandwich? You know, I don't even eat corned beef. We're going to be eating corned beef this weekend, Irish off I own you. Oh, my God. I want her to come. Yeah, bring the green. Smoke green, blow white. Hey. that's what we said at msdl that's gonna be our chant we're gonna have on stage anna you just now made it we're gonna make that the chant on stage at irish rafionia i like that all right we'll talk to you later jennifer have a great day bye hi listeners i'm anison field the host of the girlfriend spotlight and i've got some great interviews coming your way i'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one, two, three, and four of The Girlfriends and every single episode of The Girlfriends Spotlight 100% ad-free and one week early through the iHeart True Crime Plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart-topping true crime shows you love like Betrayal, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, The Brothers Ortiz, What Happened in Nashville, Hell and Gone, The Godmother, and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today. Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week, we are talking about a monster. Or maybe the woman who refused to be one. I'm sitting down with Maggie Gyllenhaal to unpack her new film, The Bride. And trust me, this isn't your grandmother's bride of Frankenstein. What I was more interested in was the monstrousness inside of each of us. You can spend your life running from those things, or you can turn around and shake hands with them. Listen to Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Sino Show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor, cultural icon Danny Trail to talk about addiction, transformation, and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to bench, featuring powerful conversations with guests like Tiffany Addish, Johnny Knoxville, and more. I'm an alcoholic, and without this problem, I'm going to die. Listen to Sino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you feel uncomfortable, what do you put on? Biggie. You put on Biggie when you feel uncomfortable? Because I want to get confident. This is DJ Hester Prince's Music is Therapy, a new podcast from me, a DJ and licensed therapist. 12 months, 12 areas of your life. Money, love, career, confidence. This isn't just a podcast. It's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hester-Prince Music is Therapy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app, Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com.