A growing number of companies drop marijuana drug testing – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

As more states make the move to legalize marijuana, a growing number of businesses are eliminating or drastically changing their drug testing policies.

“The majority still have their drug-free workplace policies in place,” said Amber Clayton, senior director of Knowledge Center Operations at the Society of Human Resources Management.

Clayton said her organization has seen a boost in businesses asking how to navigate the challenges linked to new laws that legalize marijuana.

“We’ve been getting questions for years,” she said. “They want to understand what are the laws. What can and can’t they do? Can they have policies? Can they test?”

Clayton said the short answer is to always check state laws.

But some businesses have done away with marijuana testing altogether, especially for job applicants. About 15% of employers recently surveyed said they have eliminated preemployment drug testing entirely. The move widens the talent pool for businesses looking to hire, Clayton said.

“In the states where they’ve legalized marijuana, if they were to do preemployment drug testing, they could be excluding individuals who may be marijuana users,” she said.

Over the last decade, 23 states and D.C. have legalized the drug. Clayton said some of those…