Cannabis users in Illinois are to receive workplace protections under a new law

By Jelena Martinovic

People in Illinois who enjoy or use cannabis no longer need to fear being fired because a new law recently passed by the state House of Representatives would prohibit most employers from firing workers or discriminating against applicants who respond positively Marijuana tested.

Occupational health and safety legislation sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan (D) is now before the Senate, Marijuana Moment reported.

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After being approved by the House Labor and Trade Committee a day earlier, the lawmaker passed an amended version of Morgan’s bill HB 4116 by a vote of 61 to 41.

“If we’re going to legalize the substance, you should be talking about individual liberties and what people want to do on their weekends,” bill sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan (D) told local NBC affiliate ahead of the vote WGEM. “We should allow people to make good choices and not be discriminated against in the workplace for those choices, as long as it doesn’t affect the workplace.”

The amended law protects workers who use legal products outside of work hours and when the worker is not on call.

However, some exceptions exist for certain categories of workers, including workers who operate heavy machinery or aircraft, carry a weapon, perform emergency medical services, or perform other safety-related tasks, and workers in companies that are contractors to the Federal Department of Transportation.

In addition, employers are allowed to fire employees if they are affected by marijuana while on the job.

The Prairie State legalized the sale of medical cannabis in 2015 and expanded legalization to recreational marijuana in 2020.

RELATED: DC approves law preventing pre-employment marijuana testing

In 2021, adult-use cannabis sales in the state totaled nearly $1.4 billion — more than double the inaugural year of sales in 2020. When combined with medical cannabis sales, total marijuana sales hit 1.78 Billion US dollars, an increase of 72% from 2020.

Interestingly, Illinois also received more taxpayer dollars from cannabis revenue than alcohol in 2021, as state recreational cannabis taxes exceeded alcohol taxes by nearly $100 million, according to an update released by the Illinois Department of Treasury.

TIED TOGETHER: Will drug testing for weed ever go away forever?

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DC workers to avoid pre-employment marijuana testing

Meanwhile, similar legislation in Washington, DC is poised to ban pre-employment marijuana testing.

The proposal, sponsored by Councilor Trayon White (D), and approved by the Labor & Workforce Development Committee last week, will discourage most jobs from subjecting job applicants to the process.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.