No Pre-Employment Pee Tests for D.C. Workers

Tokers are thanking the D.C. Council responsible for approving a measure this week that would make it against the law for employers in D.C. to test job seekers for pot before a job offer is made.

Lawmakers in the District thought it was time to make some progress on the bill called the “Prohibition of Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Emergency Act of 2014,” which was introduced in March by Council Member Vincent Orange.

Basically, the bill would not allow employers to subject those applying for jobs to a pot test before a job offer was made. After someone is hired, then drug tests would be allowed, if that is what company policy states.

That doesn’t mean tokers are free to be stoned at work or even to continue their high habits. But it does give people some sense of security, knowing they can find a job even with some THC in their system.

“The citizens of the District voted for Initiative 71, to legalize marijuana, and this bill will protect citizens who legally smoke marijuana but are then subsequently penalized for it through loss of employment opportunities,” Orange said in a press release. “The bill aims to prevent the loss of a job opportunity for job seekers who have used marijuana prior to receiving a job offer but it does not remove an employer’s right to prohibit the use of drugs at work or at any time during employment.”