New York City's Ban On Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Goes Into Effect
Source: High Times
Prospective employees in NYC will no longer be subjected to marijuana testing.
ByThomas Edward
Published 11 mins ago
Most job applicants seeking work in New York City won’t have to fret over a drug test for marijuana, thanks to a new law that took effect last weekend.
The new measure “bans companies from requiring pre-employment testing for marijuana, with exceptions for applicants for police, child-care, commercial driving and some other jobs,” according to NBC New York, although it “doesn’t stop employers from testing current workers, or from firing them if they fail.”
The law passed the New York city council by a 40-to-4 vote a year ago, after it was sponsored by Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate.
“Marijuana testing isn’t a deterrent to using the drug, it’s an impediment to opportunity dating back to the Reagan area—one that disadvantages low-income workers, often workers of more color, many of whom we now call essential but treat as expendable.” Williams said in a press release on Tuesday. “Particularly now, as we are grappling with how to recover from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst levels of unemployment in a century, we need to be creating more access points for employment, not less—and if prospective employers aren’t testing for past alcohol usage, marijuana should be no different. This is an economic recovery issue, a worker justice issue, and one that New York City must lead the way on.”
Read more: https://hightimes.com/news/new-york-citys-ban-pre-employment-marijuana-testing-goes-into-effect/
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