DC approves law preventing pre-employment marijuana testing

It just got a whole lot easier for most job applicants in Washington DC. The Labor & Workforce Development Committee has unanimously approved a bill to ban pre-employment marijuana testing. It’s a good first step for the state, which is slowly adapting the law to the way people think and protect them from workplace discrimination based on medical cannabis use.

Per Marijuana Moment, the legislation was sponsored by Democratic Councilor Trayon White. “This is an important step in addressing historical injustices surrounding cannabis use and ensuring that those who use cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes are not penalized in the workplace [for what they do] in their private time,” he said in a statement.

The new ruling clarifies that no company or employer can require a cannabis test from a job applicant. They make exceptions for police officers, security-sensitive construction workers and jobs that require a commercial driver’s license, work with children or with patients.

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While the bill sounds mild, it makes it clear that these protections only extend to protecting potential employees. “Nothing in this statute shall be construed to require any employer to authorize or permit the use, consumption, possession, transfer, display, transportation, sale or cultivation of marijuana in the workplace,” explains the bill.

DC voters approved medical marijuana in 2011, despite the industry moving at an icy pace and encountering congressional roadblocks. While gifting and possessing marijuana is legal in the state, accepting money or any form of compensation for it is prohibited, dampening any type of legal cannabis market.

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Cannabis and the workplace is an issue that continues to cause problems for employers and employees. While rules vary by state, the fact that cannabis is illegal at the federal level poses many risks for medicinal cannabis users. Currently, employers in most states have the final say over their cannabis policies.