Most D.C. Workers To Avoid Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Under New Bill

Those applying for a job in Washington, D.C. might be able to avoid pre-employment marijuana testing. A new bill to ban most workplaces from subjecting job applicants to the procedure was unanimously approved by the Labor & Workforce Development Committee on Thursday.

Sponsored by Councilmember Trayon White (D), the proposal builds on previous legislation the D.C. Council passed to help local government employees who face workplace discrimination due to their use of medical marijuana, Marijuana Moment writes.

What’s In It?

“It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, labor organization, employment agency, or agent thereof to require a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of any tetrahydrocannabinols or marijuana in such prospective employee’s system as a condition of employment,” the legislation specified.

The bill also stipulates that police, safety-sensitive construction workers and those with jobs that require a commercial driver’s license or people working with childcare and patients and positions “with the potential to significantly impact the health or safety of employees or members of the public” could still undergo drug testing for cannabis.

However, the employer is not required to allow the use, as well as possession, transfer, display, transportation, sale, or growing of cannabis in the workplace, under the bill.

White called the legislation ”an important step towards eliminating historical inequities of cannabis use and ensuring that those who use cannabis medically or recreationally are not penalized in their workspaces [for what they do] on their private time.”

How Cannabis Fits In The American Workplace

In the meantime, Americans are returning to more conservative workspaces, and the question of how cannabis fits into the equation is arising.

Benzinga’s Andrew Ward looked into the issue and spoke to sources in and out of the cannabis sector to better understand how cannabis fits into U.S. workplaces.

While rules vary by state, in many cases, the employer has the final say on policy, with the companies crafting their own rules and protocols.

Photo: Courtesy of Testalize.me on Unsplash