As marijuana legalization becomes more widespread, many employers are questioning whether they should continue testing for it as part of their drug testing and health screenings. The screening experts here at CredentialCheck explain why it is still recommended to test.
Marijuana legislation is a hot political issue, and more states and territories are either decriminalizing it or regulating it for medical use. Regardless of how an employer feels about the issue, they have a responsibility to ensure their screening measures are fair and promote safety for the entire workforce. That is why we recommend keeping marijuana on employee drug test panels.
While some people may use cannabis responsibly, not everyone does—and that leads to injuries. Occupational Health & Safety stated that marijuana use had been linked to increased job accidents and injuries. Similarly, The National Safety Council found that employees who tested positive had 55% more industrial accidents and a startling 85% more injuries. In addition, CNN reported that states with legalized weed saw a rise in car accidents; although this may not seem immediately relevant for all employers, most companies have far more people driving on their behalf than they realize.
Furthermore, cannabis use is bad for productivity. A survey conducted by American Addiction Centers found that 1 in 5 people admit to using marijuana recreationally during their work hours. The National Safety Council also found that employees who tested positive had 75% greater absenteeism. For these reasons and more, we recommend maintaining marijuana testing on drug panels—or adding it if it isn’t already present.
