Cannabis testing banned for most applicants in Philadelphia from 2022

If the calendar turns to 2022 in a few days, most applicants in Philadelphia will no longer have to sweat out a drug test for cannabis.

As of January 1, the city will ban most employers from conducting cannabis drug tests for new hires. The new ordinance, which was smoothly passed by the Philadelphia City Council earlier this year, will be “the first of its kind in Pennsylvania,” according to local television station KDKA.

Recreational cannabis is still illegal in the state, but medicinal cannabis is not. The latter was the impetus for Philadelphia City Councilor Derek Green to issue the ordinance informing KDKA that his primary focus was on medicinal cannabis.

“Cannabis is a unique product. Unlike alcohol and others, it is metabolized very differently in your system, “said Green, as quoted by the television station. “We are having this discussion in the Commonwealth and in the General Assembly about whether we allow cannabis for adults. But for me, those who really need medical marijuana, especially to improve their quality of life, shouldn’t be prevented from getting a job, because that’s what we all want to see. “

There are a number of exceptions to the new regulation, “including law enforcement agencies, workers who require a commercial driver’s license, many healthcare workers, and a broad category that includes” any position where the worker could significantly affect health or safety ” . by other employees or members of the public, ‘”according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The city council approved the ordinance 15-1 in April, with Republican David Oh the only one against.

The law was signed shortly thereafter by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

While Philadelphia could be the first city in Keystone state to enact such a measure, it has done so elsewhere – including nearby New York City, where its own pre-discontinuation ban on cannabis drug testing went into effect last year.

Legislature in Nevada, where adult recreational pot is legal, passed its own ban last year, and earlier this year, not long after the ban on cannabis was lifted, New York passed the ban nationwide.

Similar to Philadelphia, the New York City ban on marijuana drug testing came before it was discontinued, before recreational cannabis was legalized.

The measure was passed by New York City Council in 201 after being tabled by Jumaane Williams, the city’s public attorney and a candidate for New York governor.

“Marijuana testing is not a deterrent to the use of the drug, it is a barrier to opportunities that stretch back as far as the Reagan region – one that penalizes low-income workers, often more complexion workers, many of whom we now consider indispensable. but treat as expendable. ”Williams said after the ordinance went into effect last year.

“Right now, as we grapple with how to recover from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst unemployment in a century, we need to create more entry points for employment, not fewer – and if possible . “Employers do not test alcohol in the past, marijuana should be no different. This is a recovery issue, a workers justice issue, and one that New York City needs to lead the way. “

Philadelphia city council member Green said it didn’t make sense for employers to look for something that is often recommended by doctors in the state.

“We are using pre-discontinuation testing on a product that is recommended by doctors for people in the City of Philadelphia and authorized for their use,” Green said after it was approved in April, as quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer. “That seems very contradictory.”