Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon M. Scott, said: “[O]utdated and costly pre-employment drug and alcohol screenings only served to block qualified and passionate residents from obtaining employment with the City. … I am grateful that we are making this change now so that we can continue to improve local government operations and better serve the people of Baltimore.”
“Several states, like Nevada and New York, have moved in this direction — as have numerous cities, like Atlanta and Philadelphia — and it is no surprise to see major employers moving in this same, common-sense direction.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has signed municipal legislation into law prohibiting certain citywide employers from requiring prospective hires to pass a pre-employment drug screen. It takes effect on January 1, 2022.
NORML chapters around the country are working to protect honest, hardworking marijuana consumers from discriminatory workplace drug-testing practices, in particular, the use of random suspicionless urine testing. By emphasizing the importance of impairment detection and workplace safety, we can reframe the conversation to focus on creating a 21st century workplace that’s free of impairment while protecting individual rights.
A growing coalition of NORML Chapters in California, Oregon, Colorado and Washington have come together to advocate for necessary legislative and workplace reforms to protect responsible marijuana consumers from discriminatory practices such as workplace drug testing.