Week 6 EOC: Weed In The Workplace

The prohibition of cannabis throughout the twentieth century has made it easy for strict regulations to be established by corporations and lawmakers for marijuana use by employees and citizens. Since the legalization movement started gaining ground and medical marijuana became popular throughout various states, a whole new classification of regulations and laws were now needed. Are you going to fire a 60-year-old man fighting cancer for using cannabis oil to mitigate his disease? It was obvious that a change was needed. Now, some new changes are necessary as more and more states are choosing to legalize marijuana for recreational use. One major conflict that this movement is causing is employment regulations. Should a qualified candidate not be hired for a position for using marijuana if they live in a recreational state? What is the legal difference now between alcohol use and "pot" use? These are questions that employers all over the country are being faced with and it has not been easy to answer. "Fortunately for employers, the marijuana laws in Alaska, Colorado and the District of Columbia provide express protections, indicating that employers are not required to permit or accommodate the use, sale, possession, transfer or the like of marijuana in the workplace. The laws in Oregon and Washington, however, are silent as to the impact of recreational marijuana in the workplace." The recreational marijuana programs have already been established in states are tightly ran and, of course, highly taxed. The distribution of the drug is practically forced into the legal scene, where the state government has control. Similar programs are found throughout the country in liquor regulation, in fact, liquor regulation in states like Virginia are much stricter than the marijuana regulation in recreational states. Employers should look at marijuana use like they look at alcohol use. "...alcohol use is legal, but companies have a right to prohibit employees from working under the influence of this substance. So, therefore, employers certainly may institute drug-free-workplace policies..." You would not lose your possibilities for the job position for having a beer the night before the interview, therefore, you should not do the same for enjoying a joint the night before. As such, showing up to work drunk probably will get you fired, smoking one right before going into work should not be tolerated. If the employee's performance is compromised or influenced by marijuana or alcohol in the workplace, disciplinary action should follow according to the employers regulations in place. "The potential consequences of marijuana use in the workplace include the risk and associated cost of adverse events and the loss of productivity." The legalization of marijuana is a great thing for the people of American and each state's economy when handled correctly. As long as regulations are set and the limitations are clear, this movement is one step in the right direction for the United States of America.