TV show- "Below Deck"

And then you get a few idiots arguing that weed isn’t a drug and that it is legal, blissfully ignoring the fact that it is still illegal at the federal level.

Some if the stuff I v seen on that show has to be scripted. I ve only watched a few episodes but there were things that would Never happen on a real charter. I remember the time where the crew left the guests alone on the beach without towels and drinks. Come on... I don’t know how many of you have been on or run charters but we NEVER leave the guests alone ashore in case there is an issue and they want to get back. Never. Ever. At the most for a few minutes to run back to the boat to refresh the cooler

and there were many more cases of shake-your-head scenes that no captain would tolerate in the real world.

It s not just a scripted show, it is a scripted comedy.

I don't have enough attention span to watch this stuff.... I have boat manuals to study.

Then you have something to look forward to when you retire.

Like with a lot today the Fed is too slow to act so the states are doing the job for them. The medical effects are vast and largely proven from nausea from chemo to Glaucoma to PTSD to pain, etc., etc. The Fed is stuck in the days of Reefer Madness and Richard Nixon. The citizens have pretty much spoken, and if the local politicians want to keep their jobs the have to listen. More than that though the states need the money.

Malia has her head so far up Sandy's ass, I don't see how she can even raise the anchor. Hannah ha s mentioned previously that Sandy likes people that kiss ass and she was not one of them.

Well let's update your reality then since you haven't captained boats nearly 200' in size. They always have medical cabinets and a crew member in charge of them. Every medication is carefully controlled. In Hannah's case we're dealing with two controlled meds. We have cabinets and always a medical person in charge on both our 85' and 130' and in a smaller way even on our 63' and had it on our 66' loop boat. We have quite a few of us who are qualified as Medical Person in Charge.

And every crew member and passenger signs a statement about drugs and knows our rules very clearly. We have had guests remove small containers from their purses and leave them in safes in our home.

As to CBD, we have 50 states and 50 rules and then every country is different. However, the biggest problem is you cannot trust the manufacturers of it. CBD which claims to be under the limit of THC often isn't. Then on top of that if one uses enough right before a test, they may not pass a test. Texas had hundreds of drug arrests thrown out when the field tests law enforcement was using were found to be unable to distinguish quantities of THC so all those with CBD were being arrested as liquid form of THC in TX is a felony. Most departments stopped field testing of CBD. So, I would never allow CBD aboard even though it may well be legal. Among other things it can lead to every inch of a boat being inspected in detail.

This seems to be like a lot being made over a small amount of Valium except I would have made the same as you have no real choice. Seems to me with all the drinking aboard, the valium is small in comparison, but it's illegal to be carried by a crew member.

US businesses with drug testing are just as insane. Many prescription medications result in calls to the employee and them having to give their pharmacy information and permission to call them. What some employees who have done nothing wrong at all are put through is disgusting and in my opinion a terrible invasion of the employee's rights, but many drug testing programs businesses use go far beyond testing for just illegal drugs.

I'm amazed how strict we are on drugs and yet do virtually nothing in regards to the most abused drug in boating and in non-boating, alcohol.

Yes on the boats I've worked the Medical Person in Charge is not designated as such. It's just the captain, and the medical cabinet is the first aid kit (which is often very inadequate for a major injury, but hopefully adequate to stabilize a patient. Never heard that designation on private yachts. I so agree with your last statement. A person can be drunk all night and hung over, but if they can pass a pee test and a breathalyzer they're good to go. I'd like to see drivers, captains, pilots, etc. subjected to a video game type test before they start work. I don't care if they're unable to concentrate or react due to drugs, liquor or because they just had a fight with their spouse. I don't want to have them running machinery. The fact that he smoked a joint 28 days ago doesn't matter to me. but then again most of the drug testing has very little to do with safety. It's about making money. We created a profit generating industry and that's all that really matters.

Hemp-derived pain relief products are growing in popularity across the U.S., with many users turning to cannabidiol (CBD) for everyday relief or as a substitute for addictive opioid painkillers. However, the U.S. Coast Guard has issued a warning to mariners that CBD products come with a risk for mariners. Some products marketed as hemp or CBD may contain enough tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cause the user to fail a drug test, with an outcome identical to the results for the use of marijuana. Over-the-counter hemp and CBD products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the purity of their active ingredient varies.

Under federal law, an individual who fails a lab test for "dangerous drugs" - including THC - must be removed from duties affecting the safe operation of the vessel. In addition, he or she will be subject to merchant mariner credential suspension and revocation proceedings. For purposes of administering this regulation, the USCG does not accept the use of CBD products as a defense for a THC-positive drug test result.

Mariners wishing to avoid a positive THC drug test result should exercise extreme caution with hemp or CBD products, the Coast Guard warned, because it could result in the loss of their license. This applies equally to products taken by mouth (tinctures or edible products) and products applied to the skin (muscle rubs and lotions).

Starting with Part D on page 2 of the enclosure, about 3/4 of the way down the document are all the regulations and hoops to jump through for prescription and over the counter medications.

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/forms/NVIC_04-08.pdf

Here is the section relevant to Valium:

7. Benzodiazepine Medications: Examples include, but are not limited to, alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), clonazepam (Klonopin) and diazepam (Valium). Due to the risk of impaired cognitive ability, judgment, and reaction time, use of benzodiazepine medications is disqualifying. The medication and the underlying condition will be reviewed to determine whether the mariner qualifies for a waiver under 46 CFR 10.303. Waivers for use within 48 hours prior to, or while acting under the authority of the credential will only be approved on a case-by-case basis if the Coast Guard determines that there are exceptional circumstances that mitigate risk to public safety. See section I (Medication Waivers Requiring Special Consideration) of this enclosure.

Can we get back on topic of Below Deck and not a pissing match over drugs.

Quoting USCG rules and regs doesn't apply here. The vessel is Malta flagged and in the MED, so their rules and regulations apply not the USCG. I have worked on vessels that had a medicine cabinet and a medical person in charge, BUT people's personally prescribed meds did not go in there and we're handed out by the Medical Person In Charge.........The ones I am mentioning are for things like high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. I'm not sure as it comes down to Benzo's.

Did you mean to write 'Were or were not' handed out by the MPIC? Bottom line is that if it can leave you impaired you have no business on a boat, driving, flying or working with machinery. Hannah had no business having what she had on board. She deserved to be fired. Malia had two choices: act as a friend and make her dump them or turn her in. She took the 3rd route of taking pics to use at a later time for vengeance and to further her own goals.

Yes, but CG rules aren't all that much different than others in this respect. I should have pulled up some others.

were not handed out by the MPIC. They had a list and knew what prescription meds people were on, but did not hand them out to the person. These were things that weren't abused (blood pressure meds etc.). I agree anything that impares ones judgement and ability to work has no business being on a boat.

One point that was reiterated on the episode was the concern for guests safety. Malia went so far as to suggest that standing watch under the influence of drugs put them all at risk. Has Hannah (or any of the stews, for that matter) ever stood watch? I've watched the various series since the beginning and haven't seen that happen ever. She just comes off as trying to justify her actions and make herself look like the hero for turning Hannah in.

I agree with you on the standing watch. Furthermore, I don't think the valium in any way affected safety. In fact if Hannah is having a panic attack, the valium improves safety. However, there's no judgement in the call. What she did and failed to do make it illegal.

Generally, in an emergency the Chief Stewardess is responsible for mustering all the guests and taking charge of their safety.

And that's why you get clearance for her to have the valium aboard, when she needs it you give it to her and take her off duty for the next 8 hours and assign her responsibilities to the second stew. Done the right way, it can all be safely handled for all.

Another factor that comes into play with the show is that Sandy is not the captain of record. Bravo TV charters the yachts they use. The owners and insurance companies require that, at minimum, the captain of record or first officer remain onboard along with the engineer to operate the boat. In this case captain David Pott, the captain of record on the Wellesley, which is the boats actual name, was aboard. As the owners employee and captain of record, he had the final say in how the legalities of the situation were handled. Bravo TV employs Sandy and the rest of the actors, so they can decide what to do with the characters and story line but the owner and captain of record deal with legalities of operation like drugs aboard.

Interesting. Did not know.

I knew First Officer and Engineer were aboard... they've been seen/discussed in other seasons of the show, but did not know the actual Captain stayed on. Not surprising, but interesting.