“In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use, However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course.”
AMAZON BLOG POST
Tech giant Amazon will no longer need a marijuana drug test for new job applicants. The only job candidates Amazon will screen for marijuana use are those applying for positions that come under the Department of Transportation. This includes delivery truck drivers and operators of heavy machinery. The company will still test for all drugs and alcohol after any accidents or other incidents involving delivery trucks and heavy machinery. In the past, Amazon used positive tests as a reason to disqualify applicants.
Amazon’s public policy team also came out in support of the MORE (Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement) Act. The MORE act is a legislative act that was reintroduced in Congress on the 28th of May, 2021. The MORE Act aims to remove marijuana from the list of drugs in the federal Controlled Substances Act. This will put marijuana on par with alcohol and tobacco in the United States. It also proposes a tax on cannabis products, which will be utilized to invest in communities that have been crippled by marijuana’s criminalization.
Seattle-based Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. and this move encourages other private employers to ditch unfair tests against marijuana users. Their vocal support to the MORE act is seen as positive news for the cannabis sector and advocates of the movement to decriminalize marijuana use.
This move brings relief to medical marijuana users in the United States. Medical marijuana is legal in 36 states and there are an estimated 3.5 million users of medical marijuana. Voters across the country, especially in conservative strongholds, are increasingly passing measures that grant citizens better access to medical marijuana products. From medical to recreational use, America is embracing legal weed and Amazon doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of history.
We asked our weed experts in Cannarie about the latest move from Amazon-
Weed is legal in 36 states and more states are legalizing marijuana use. Companies operating in multiple states will be forced to re-evaluate their workplace policies. Companies would also need to analyze whether it is still practical to waste resources on weed drug tests.
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