The two local workers agree that their colleagues shouldn’t “bring it to work and endanger other people” but believe employees should have the right to take drugs on their days off.

A contractor confirmed he had friends working at Mount Isa Mines who did use drugs. 

“And they did specifically avoid marijuana because of drug tests, and instead would smoke synthetic weed back when it was legal, or would choose LSD, synthetic LSD, or ecstasy instead. 

“Even knew a few that would take meth but would never touch marijuana simply because meth is out of your system so quick, and marijuana stays in your system for ages.” 

The contractor believed the urine testing system created a culture where workers were encouraged to choose harsher and more dangerous drugs over ones that other countries already legalised and considered safe in moderation. 

He suggested work sites instead used a mouth swab system. 

The contractor believed drugs were beneficial to society, and inspired the best art, culture and music. 

“The truth is the only drugs they [authorities] want us doing are the ones that are taxed,” he said, suggesting caffeine and alcohol were accepted.

A Mount Isa Mines employee said he believed there were people he worked with who were drug users. 

“Whether they are actually being affected by drugs [in the workplace], I really hope not, but I dare say many would still have drugs in their system,” the employee said. 

The employee said there was regular on-site drug testing and that the nurses who administer the tests occasionally target a certain crew in order to catch someone they suspect of using.

However, he believed it was possible for drug users to avoid being tested. 

“The nurses who administer the tests don’t really hide very well, you can occasionally see them before you get in the gate, in which case some people just call in sick,” the employee said. 

“People will send messages out to their friends saying that ‘the drug test lady is here’.”