Amazon releases update on the company’s drug testing guidelines

Amazon released a new statement detailing its decision to abolish drug testing as a pre-hire condition condition, as well as its support for certain cannabis laws.

On a September 21 blog post, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of human resources, wrote about the company’s ongoing plan to support legalization. In the update, Galetti revealed Amazon’s commitment to cannabis, including restoring “employment eligibility to former employees and applicants previously terminated or deferred in random or pre-hiring marijuana screenings.”

In addition, Galetti executes this decision with three realizations. First, with the rapid legalization that is taking hold in the country, “it has become difficult to implement a fair, consistent and national marijuana testing program before hiring”. Second, she stated that the cannabis tests while being hired, before hiring, severely affected people with color. Finally, she admitted that with Amazon’s continued growth in hiring new employees, “the elimination of cannabis recruitment tests allows us to expand our pool of applicants.”

Galletti’s statement contains a clear clarification on the topic of cannabis on Amazon compared to his previous announcements. On June 1, the company published a blog post with the aim of becoming both “Best Employer on Earth” and “The Safest Workplace on Earth”. In that announcement, it confirmed that it would adjust its drug testing policy. “We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for agencies that are not regulated by the Department of Transportation, but instead treat it the same as alcohol,” the company wrote.

In June, the company also announced that it would “actively support” the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021, also known as the MORE Act. Now Galetti also mentioned the company’s recent approval of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.

In a letter dated Jan.

“The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act contains a number of important changes that we support. First, we support the removal of cannabis from the Controlled Substance Act. This will open up significant new economic opportunities for millions of able people, while beginning to restore some of the damage that has been done to badly affected communities. ”

Huseman also called on Congress to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and expel more people whose lives have been negatively affected by the war on drugs. “For too long, criminal marijuana regulations have been unequally enforced against colored people, perpetuating over-incarceration, poverty, health and other barriers to economic opportunity,” he wrote.

“We believe there is a need to eradicate these crimes that our society has carried on the shoulders of colored communities. And as the second largest employer in the country, we support the deletion to ensure that all capable people have a fair chance to look for and secure a job wherever they want. Finally, we support community reinvestment grants that can have a positive impact on the pursuit of social justice. ”

Huseman’s letter openly indicates that the company has no opinion on any particular view of the industry, including “regulation, approval, taxation and interstate trade.”

Galetti ended her September 21 letter with a hopeful outlook for the future of cannabis for employees and for citizens of the United States at large. “We are thrilled with the remarkable dynamism of the country to realize that today’s status quo is unfair and untenable. We look forward to working with Congress and other supporters to achieve the necessary reform of the country’s cannabis laws, ”she concluded.

Amazon’s recent ambitions to support those affected by the war on drugs and to give them political support continue to be an opportunity for the ongoing struggle to legalize cannabis. However, the latest reports ask what kind of engagement Amazon might be planning for the future.