This Just In ...

With unemployment around 4% and marijuana legal in many states, some employers are now less picky about requiring preemployment drug tests.

A survey of 609 Colorado employers by the Mountain States Employers Council in 2017 found that employer testing for marijuana use fell to 66 percent, down from 77 percent the prior year. Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana in 2014.

Surveys by The Federal Reserve last year revealed that many employers have stopped administering drug tests because too many employees were failing them. And some employers fear maintaining tough drug standards means losing prospective employees to competitors. “Employers are really strapped and saying ‘We’re going to forgive certain things,’” said James Reidy, a lawyer who works with employers on their human resources policies, to Bloomberg News.

But not all companies are willing to change their drug policies. Especially those in manufacturing, or where driving vehicles or operating heavy machinery are involved, and even in industries like food services. Restaurant Brands International Inc., for example, which owns Burger King, still treats pot as an illegal substance. The federal government has increased its opposition to the legalization of marijuana under the Trump administration. In January, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama administration’s hands-off policy toward prosecuting marijuana-related crimes, which allowed free rein to cannabis industries in states where it’s legalized. Even where safety is not a concern, the cloud of uncertainty created by that change in policy will discourage many employers from taking a more tolerant drug policy.

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In this issue:

This Just In...

Litigating the Opioid Epidemic

The Cost of Bullying in the Workplace

How Drug Formularies Are Reducing Costs and Mitigating the Opioid Crisis

The Benefits of Structured Settlements

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