Legalizing marijuana in the United States has received more attention in recent months, with Utah and Missouri as the newest states to approve medical medical use of cannabis in November. To date, there are 33 states that permit medically prescribed cannabis, with 10 states also approving recreational marijuana use.
These changes are taking place due to the growing awareness of the benefits or health benefits of using marijuana in the country. With the acceptance of the public and the government, companies are encouraged to rethink the zero-tolerance attitude towards marijuana use in the workplace.
The legalization of marijuana requires employers to "closely review, update or change the current policies, or their absences, associated with marijuana use as they see fit and provide as much detail as possible," says Dan Rowland, a Denver-based marijuana. policy industry consultant, against Inc. Magazine.
He pointed out that companies should promote good awareness, in particular of the change in weed laws and their application to office policy. Employers need to explain to employees how off-duty access to weed can affect work, Rowland added.
Here are what employers can do to tackle the use of marijuana in the workplace:
Remove marijuana from drug tests to alleviate concerns
In states where recreational use of marijuana is permitted, employers can remove marijuana from drug testing. Peter Cappelli, director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, said instead of finding out if someone used the weed in the last month as part of the recruitment decision, employers should focus on identifying skills.
"It seems a bit strange to think that we are so interested in whether someone has used marijuana in the past month rather than whether they have the skills to do the job," he said.
Cappelli also asked a good question about the legality and effects of marijuana compared to alcohol.
“Do you test for alcohol consumption, which is also legal but harms behavior? And the answer is, almost never, ”he said.
It is still good to say no
Although they are legal in a state where the company is located, companies can still prohibit the use of marijuana at work. It's the same way how alcohol is prohibited during office hours.
A “no-tolerance” policy on marijuana would help avoid human resources issues, such as the link between performance and weed. In Colorado, state law allows companies to add to their policies a ban on recreational marijuana at work, which many companies have already implemented and enforced.
Support medical marijuana
It is already considered a legal drug. Some employees should take prescribed medical marijuana during office hours to treat major conditions. The drug is known to help treat epileptic disorders, PTSD, Crohn's disease, nausea, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.
For employees suffering from such ailments, not using marijuana could be the one that could affect their performance.
Read the full article on MedicalDaily.com (EN, source), fig. Unsplash (source)
