New legislation will prevent employers from firing employees if they fail drug test
California lawmakers are looking to ensure that workers don’t lose their job if they consume marijuana at home.
Legislators passed a bill last week that would prevent employers from firing workers if they fail a drug test that looks for metabolites, a substance that the body makes when it breaks down THC, reported The Associated Press. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.
Metabolites, however, can remain in a person’s body for weeks after using marijuana, which means people can fail a drug test – which rely on urine or hair samples – even though they are not impaired, according to the report, citing data from the Mayo Clinic.
While the legislation protects workers who fail these types of drug tests, it doesn’t prevent companies from punishing workers for failing other types of tests that are better in determining if a person is currently impaired.
“Nothing in this bill would allow someone to come (to work) high,” said Assemblymember Bill Quirk, a Democrat from Hayward and the author of the bill, in the report.
The bill has been forwarded to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will have until the end of September to decide whether to sign it into law. The legislation would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
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