The Iowa drug testing statute (Iowa Code § 730.5) became more employer friendly effective July 1, 2025. Although the Iowa drug testing law remains one of the most technically challenging in the country, the changes will make...more
7/31/2025
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Burden of Proof ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
California’s AB 2188 greatly expanded the scope of the state’s existing marijuana laws because it prohibits discrimination based on the off-duty use of marijuana. This prohibition creates a dilemma for employers who conduct...more
7/29/2025
/ California ,
Construction Industry ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Exemptions ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws
California prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of off-duty use of marijuana, with some exemptions. One exemption is for “the building and construction trades.”
California’s AB 2188 greatly...more
The Iowa Supreme Court recently clarified that a compliant random drug testing program under Iowa law requires excluding those who are not scheduled to work the day of the testing from the pool of employees who could be...more
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (“CREAMMA”) does not permit a private citizen to bring a civil action for...more
1/31/2025
/ Appeals ,
Appellate Courts ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Offers ,
Marijuana ,
New Jersey ,
Private Right of Action ,
Termination
The Department of Transportation’s operating agencies have announced their random drug and alcohol testing rates for 2025. The rates are the same as 2024, except that PHMSA has increased its random drug testing rate to 50%....more
Florida law requires employers to consider accommodations for off-duty use of medical marijuana, a Florida state court has held and granted the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment....more
The Pittsburgh City Council unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against medical marijuana patients in the workplace and limiting certain types of marijuana drug testing by employers as to these...more
Minnesota will amend its drug testing law to permit oral fluid testing for drugs, cannabis and alcohol, effective August 1, 2024. The Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace Act (“DATWA”) currently requires employers who...more
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will recommend that marijuana should be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, according to an announcement made April 30, 2024 by the U.S. Department of Justice. ...more
5/2/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
OMB ,
Recreational Use ,
Schedule I Drugs
A recent Iowa court decision highlights the risks to employers who do not strictly comply with all facets of the state’s drug testing law, Iowa Code Section 730.5, which is one of the nation’s most technical drug testing...more
Happy New Year! The Department of Transportation’s operating agencies have announced their random drug and alcohol testing rates for 2024. These rates are the annual minimum drug and alcohol random testing rates. The rates...more
Joining 23 other states, Ohio has passed a recreational marijuana law. On November 7, 2023, Ohioans voted to pass an initiative legalizing and regulating the cultivation, sale, purchase, possession, use, and home growth of...more
On October 7, 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 700, which makes it unlawful under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) for an employer to discriminate against a job applicant based on information regarding...more
Under a new Minnesota law legalizing recreational marijuana, beginning August 1, 2023, individuals 21 years of age or older may possess or transport up to two ounces of cannabis flower in public and to possess up to two...more
The requirement to maintain a safe workplace often clashes with state and local laws that protect the rights of individuals who use marijuana while off-duty, creating unique challenges for manufacturing employers....more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published new regulations in the Federal Register on May 2, 2023 that will allow covered employers to use oral fluid testing for drugs. While the new rules technically become...more
The state of Washington will prohibit employers from making hiring decisions based on off-duty use of cannabis or positive pre-employment drug test results that find an applicant to have nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites...more
Delaware became the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana on April 23, 2023 when the state’s Governor failed to veto two bills that allow for the legalization of marijuana, effective immediately. Individuals who...more
It’s been two years since the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act legalized marijuana in New York State on March 31, 2021 and prohibited employers from drug testing for marijuana (for tests that are not federally-mandated)....more
A North Carolina federal court dismissed a former employee’s legal claims related to her use of CBD outside of work after she tested positive for marijuana and was fired by her employer.
The employer had a drug testing...more
The changing legal landscape relating to marijuana usage means that employers, especially those with safety sensitive positions or who are subject to federally mandated compliance requirements, need to review their current...more
Governor Gavin Newsome signed into law September 19, 2022 several measures relating to marijuana, including one that prohibits employment discrimination based on off-duty use of marijuana. The law takes effect on January 1,...more
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission published guidance on September 9, 2022, for employers to address marijuana impairment in the workplace. The guidance does not, however, provide the long-awaited certification...more
9/19/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Drug-Free Workplace Act ,
Employee Training ,
Federal Contractors ,
Marijuana ,
New Guidance ,
New Jersey ,
Recreational Use ,
Standard Operating Procedures ,
Workplace Safety
The Supreme Court of Nevada upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by an employee who was terminated after testing positive for marijuana on a post-accident drug test. The Court rejected the employee’s claims that his use of...more