Legal Pot Complicates Drug-Free Work Policies

[Purveyor]

DENVER (AP) -- Pot may be legal, but workers may want to check with their boss first before they grab the pipe or joint during off hours.

Businesses in Washington state, where the drug is legal, and Colorado, where it will be by January, are trying to figure out how to deal with employees who use it on their own time and then fail a drug test.

It is another uncertainty that has come with pot legalization as many ask how the laws will affect them.

"There's just an incredible amount of gray right now" about how marijuana legalization affects employers, said Sandra Hagen Solin of the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, a coalition of chambers of commerce.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MARIJUANA_WORKPLACE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-07-17-31-43

[occupymybrain]

1. Things are going to get crazy before they get calm.

I heard this morning that Obama was going to bring up lawsuits against Colorado and Washington on the cannabis laws that were passed on election night. Has anyone else heard anything like this? I hope it's not true. In Colorado we see it as a issue for the state, we have had MMJ for many years now and have had no problems with it. We have the regulations for the industry and all we are asking is that the feds recognize that cannabis is not a big bad plant that at any chance can kill your kids.
I do think that Obama has looked down hard on Cannabis because he has kids and might still believe its a gateway drug. I don't know but I hope Obama sends the right message regarding cannabis. I think that's the most frustrating thing about this politicians laugh at the thought of being the one to actually enact laws regarding marijuana because they make light of it. To our leaders it's not a serious issue, I absolutely disagree. I think the imprisonment of millions of people in the name of laughable pot laws is wrong.

Here in Colorado we know that if you fly a airplane or do very intense jobs you may not get to use cannabis. I think most people here know this its the way it has been for many years now,so we get that. We don't get why business is thinking of ways to keep employees from using on their own time. In essence owning the employee by way of threats of termination. We have business here saying that pot is going to be smoked at work. This I can tell you will not be the norm it is NOT legal to smoke in public. Whatever happens will be a move forward now we have to break the stereotypes and discrimination.

[eShirl]

2. that's easy: test for impairment

[Vox Moi]

7. Agreed! The drug test frenzy has got to go!

Drug tests are a complete waste of time.
I could test positive for pot from that joint I smoked a week ago.
On the other hand I could have passed the drug test if I had:
been on a bender all weekend.
been smoking crack only a few days ago.
been snorting cocaine, shooting heroin or tripping on LSD.
More than that, most companies test only as part of the hiring process. If they were serious they'd test randomly during employment. The fact that they don't is testimony to the farce that drug testing is.

Drug testing is the consequence of a cultural bias.

Anyone remember the three-martini lunch?
That was something people snickered at ... plenty of tolerance for booze.

[spanone]

3. most jobs you can't drink alcohol....same with pot..

[Purveyor]

4. Ahhh but alcohol won't show up on a test for 30 days... eom

[eShirl]

5. people don't test positive for a beer they had last week, though

[TransitJohn]

6. Solution: Congress needs to move MJ off of Schedule I

It never should have been Scheduled there to begin with. Congress is so fucked up and dysfunctional that this will never happen.