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Well, as of right now, no. You see, medical marijuana is a privilege at this point in our country, not a right. This means that no employer is legally obligated to let you use medical marijuana after hours and let it affect your job. This is why many people who have medical marijuana cards are afraid to let their employers know, in the case that they have a random drug testing because of it and lose their jobs. The sad thing about medical marijuana is that it is not an evil and addictive drug. In fact, we need to acknowledge, as a country of the United States, that cannabis is a safe alternative to prescription medications like opioids and NSAIDS, and that it has a crucial role in healthcare in our nation.

So, has the increase in cannabis legalization throughout the United States decreased the amount of drug testing done by employers? After all, since it’s as legal as drinking alcohol, what’s the harm? Interestingly, the rate at which employers are participating in random and regular drug testing seems to be increasing in states that have legalized marijuana.

If you have been looking around for jobs lately, you may notice that there are now mandatory drug testing disclosures before you even begin your application. This at least lets you know right away if you are going to be able to get a job there or not. What if some companies are missing out on some great job candidates simply because they also have a medical marijuana card? Shouldn’t these candidates have protection from getting fired simply because they use marijuana (legally!) after work hours? I think they should, and there are many who agree with me. That is why there are many states moving in that direction when it comes to laws and policies that protect medical marijuana card holders. There is also the question of whether it is fair to drug test employees?

It is a complex and complicated question. First of all, I can understand employees not wanting to use cannabis during the day at work. You don’t see people drinking during the work day (sometimes). If employees simply use medical marijuana after hours or even just on the weekends, shouldn’t they be allowed to do that? It can get really messy really quickly when it comes to the ethical concerns about marijuana in the workplace. Anyways, thanks for reading, I’m calling it quits on this one.