Philadelphia City Council Votes to Prohibit Pre-Employment Drug Screening for Cannabis

From NORML:

Members of the Philadelphia City Council have voted overwhelmingly in favor of municipal legislation prohibiting certain employers from requiring prospective hires to pass a pre-employment drug screen.

Council members decided 15 to 1 in favor of the measure, Bill No. 200625, which “prohibits employers from requiring prospective employees to undergo testing for the presence of marijuana as a condition of employment, under certain terms and conditions.” Employees in certain safety sensitive positions, such as police officers and/or those who supervise children or medical patients, will be exempt from the policy, as will those mandated to be drug tested under federal drug testing guidelines. City Mayor Jim Kenney is expected to sign the bill into law. It would take effect on January 1, 2022.

NORML’s Deputy Director testified in favor of the bill at an April hearing before the council. “There’s no evidence to support the claim that those who consume cannabis in the privacy of their own home away from the job pose a unique workforce safety threat or risk,” he said.

Read the full ARTICLE at the NORML website