NorthJersey.com by Daniel Munoz 9/12/2022
You can’t be fired from your job just for testing positive for weed, under new guidelines the state released on Friday.
The long-awaited interim regulations for the nascent industry came as a relief to employers, who said they had been left in the dark on how to keep their workplace free of drugs.
While a positive drug test for marijuana won’t by itself be grounds to fire or discipline a staffer, or to decline to hire someone, an employee could still be let go if they’re also shown to be under the influence during work hours.
“Striking a balance between workplace safety and work performance and adult employees’ right to privacy and to consume cannabis during their off hours is possible,” reads a statement from Jeff Brown, executive director of the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which oversees the state’s marijuana industry. “We have been doing that with alcohol without thought.”
Long-awaited rules for a new industryFor workers and bosses, the situation has been complicated by medical uncertainty ever since sales began on April 21, and fears of how weed could affect worker performance in high-risk jobs with little room for error.
Pot and alcohol affect the human body differently, so long-established protocols for substance-free workplaces and gauging if someone’s under the influence hadn’t necessarily applied.
More:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/state/2022/09/12/marijuana-nj-legal-weed-new-guidelines-workers-employers/69487084007/
