4/20 Special Report – NJ Recreational Marijuana Lights Up Tomorrow.
In case you have been in a stupor and missed it, New Jersey will begin adult recreational cannabis sales tomorrow, April 21.
For employers in and around New Jersey, the expanded use of marijuana may bring more headaches in terms of drug testing, attendance problems, and employee attitudes.
Employee/applicant testing protocols also should be reviewed considering the New Jersey law’s restrictions on the use of positive tests to take adverse employment actions. In addition, Philadelphia and other jurisdictions now impose bans on pre-employment marijuana testing (as reported in our last Update).
Importantly, however, the law does not require employers to tolerate workers being under the influence, using, or possessing cannabis at work. And federal law continues to make such use, sale, and possession illegal – although enforcement efforts have been close to nil at the federal level.
It’s going to be up to each employer to decide how to handle these new, liberalized laws on marijuana use – stress out or chill out? It’s up to you, dude.