New York employers can't drug test most employees for weed

[RandySF]

ccording to that new guidance, employers must cite “articulable symptoms of impairment” in almost any effort to take action against an employee due to marijuana use. That means an employer must provide “objectively observable” evidence that the employee’s job performance—or overall workplace safety— is negatively impacted by marijuana use.

“Observable signs of use that do not indicate impairment on their own cannot be cited as an articulable symptom of impairment,” the guidance states. Employers may prohibit marijuana use during work hours, including meal, break, and on-call periods. They may also prohibit marijuana possession on or in company property.

The guidance states that employers may not drug test employees for cannabis unless federal or state law requires drug testing as a condition of the position. The employer is not legally allowed to require drug testing outside such a mandate.

Employers are similarly unable to prohibit marijuana use outside the workplace. Policies banning marijuana use as a condition of employment—unless mandated on a state or federal level—are not permitted, even if they were in place before cannabis use was legalized in New York. The guidance notes that employers are not legally required to take any action at all if employees use cannabis on the job, even if those employees are under the legal age of 21.



https://www.news10.com/news/political-news/new-york-employers-cant-drug-test-most-employees-for-weed/

[Throck]

1. Hopefully a lot less people will be paranoid now.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. Company I Worked For Quit Testing For It

Method, coke, opioids and the like are still tested substances.
But, they quit testing for pot because of the legal complications of showing cause for suspensions or dismissals.
Basically, they appear to have decided if they get sued over discipline, they can't win, so why waste the money on that analysis.
Also, since a lot of that testing was driven by the liability insurers (like Factory Mutual) that discounted premiums for testing regimens, and those companies quit encouraging pot testing.
Now, testing for pot is strictly a cost with no return. Kind of forced them to catch up to the times.