MSGFaithful

Thank you for doing this AMA.

My question involves workplace drug testing. As you know, many companies continue to do pre-employment drug testing as well as others who will also conduct random testing. In states where marijuana is legalized, we are still seeing that companies are not shifting their drug testing policies; they are still testing for and refusing to hire a person who has ingested a legal substance.

In my opinion, marijuana legalization will not be completely successful unless these policies are changed, and while Congress may be convinced to full legalization, I'm worried about the private companies who will continue to punish their employees for consuming marijuana, even if they do it off company time and do not show up to work high.

So my question is, what are MPP's ideas for changing the workplace drug testing policy?

I can sort of understand why they chose not to hire cigarette smokers. The thing with smokers is that they really need to go on a smoke break every couple of hours. After a while, that lost time starts to add up.

I would even have this problem if marijuana smokers needed a smoke break. As long as they don't show up under the influence, they consume it on their own time, and they don't reek of it, there shouldn't be an issue.

Now, if the smoking starts to affect work, then it becomes an issue. But I'd rather take the pot smoker who wakes up and shows up to work with no effects than the beer drinker who shows up to work hungover.

It's amazing that no other country has this issue with drug testing. They operate on the "whatever you do in your free time, as long as it's not hurting anyone else, is none of our business" method.

I agree that it's an industry. Hopefully (at the very least), a new method which doesn't go back a month can be used instead of a urinalysis.

I think this is a very fair compromise. Hopefully more companies adopt this kind of policy going forward.