I could’ve been president of Amtrak had I not failed a piss test in college for weed. In fact, I failed two of them, two summers in a row. This was for a role consisting of selling microwave hot dogs and canned beer on the trains. I was not the guy driving the train, but Amtrak required urinalysis testing for the job, don’t ask me why.
Despite refraining from weed smoking for a month before the tests, I still flunked them both. Now that takes talent and potential. Because of my penchant for enjoying bong hits of fine cannabis every day of every month, I was not prepping for a piss test. I guess I needed to quit longer than the requisite 30 days, but I was hoping against hope because 30 days was as long as I wanted to go without weed. I was not just the biggest stoner on campus, I was selling the buds I was smoking out of my dorm room. I had appearances to keep up.
This was 1986. My father was an executive V.P. at Amtrak and he was eager to help me get started and promoted. First, a summer job serving food on the train, then a junior executive role after college, and the rest would be up to me. I had the chops and my dad had the inside track. I would’ve made it for certain, but it required giving up weed and there was no way that was going to happen. Too bad for Amtrak and for all the good citizens who ride those rails. The food still leaves much to be desired 35 years later – that never would’ve happened under my watch as president.
– Read the entire article at Forbes.
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