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State Labor Laws Marijuana Employee Rights

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California Construction Employers May Rely On Legal Exemption To Drug Test for Marijuana

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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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Building an Exemption: California Construction Employers Allowed to Drug Test for Marijuana

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

Woods Rogers

Weed in the Workplace: What’s the Tea in L&E?

Woods Rogers on

In this episode, Anne Bibeau, Co-Chair of the Labor & Employment Practice, joins host Leah Stiegler to discuss marijuana use in the workplace. While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, many states have legalized its...more

Miller Nash LLP

Washington State Law Provides Agricultural Cannabis Workers the Right to Unionize

Miller Nash LLP on

A recently passed Washington State House Bill permits agricultural workers to unionize under the supervision of Washington’s Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). On April 22, 2025, the Governor signed House Bill...more

Stevens & Lee

Third Circuit Predicts No Private Right of Action for Denied Job Applicants Under New Jersey Cannabis Law

Stevens & Lee on

On Dec. 9, 2024, a divided panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a class action lawsuit by New Jersey job applicants denied employment by Walmart because they tested positive for cannabis. The...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

The Best of Intentions: State Law Protections for Employee Cannabis Use May Not Protect Them After All

While not enough blogs these days quote Toad the Wet Sprocket lyrics, a recent decision from a federal appellate court holding that a would-be employee can suffer negative employment consequences for cannabis use even when...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Drug Test Woes: State Law Protections for Employee Cannabis Use May Not Protect Them After All

The changing landscape of the cannabis industry is keeping employers on their toes nationwide. As more and more states expand the legalization of cannabis products, we are also seeing a trend in the cannabis statutes for...more

Akerman LLP - HR Defense

California’s New Drug Testing Rules Protect Employees’ Off-Duty Cannabis Use

With expanding legalization and commercialization—including several state initiatives in 2024 and perhaps even federal legislation—the chances are good that your California business has at least a few employees who consume...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Off-Duty Conduct Protections for Employees’ 4/20 Celebrations: A Look at the High Points of a Few States’ Marijuana Laws

With the arrival of the unofficial annual holiday known as “4/20,” employers can celebrate by reminding themselves of the state laws that could protect employees’ off-duty 4/20 celebrations....more

Epstein Becker & Green

Court Clarifies Employers’ Rights Under Connecticut’s Palliative Use of Marijuana Act, Guidance on Drug Testing

Epstein Becker & Green on

In a recent decision affirming summary judgment in favor of defendant Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. (the “Agency”), the Connecticut Appellate Court (decision.pdf) provided employers with useful guidance about...more

Weintraub Tobin

California Employment News: Expanded Workplace Protections Regarding Cannabis Use

Weintraub Tobin on

New laws in 2024 expand workplace protections for employees regarding their current and past cannabis use. Nikki Mahmoudi and Tomiwa Aina review these changes, previewed in our 2024 Employment Law Update seminars, in this...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Protecting Off-Duty Cannabis Use in California: What Employers Should Know

As of January 1, 2024, California employers cannot make employment decisions based on an employee’s legal, off-duty cannabis use. They also cannot request information about a job applicant’s prior cannabis use. Constangy...more

Littler

California Laws Come into Effect Regarding Off-Duty Marijuana Use

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Two new laws will take effect next year that restrict how employers may respond to worker off-duty cannabis use.  One law will restrict employers’ ability to ask about prior cannabis use in the hiring process, and the other...more

McGuireWoods LLP

California Expands Protections for Employees Who Use Recreational Cannabis

McGuireWoods LLP on

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, California employers may not inquire about employees’ prior use of cannabis, even if the employer learns of that prior use from an employee’s criminal history. On Oct. 7, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom...more

ArentFox Schiff

District of Columbia Employers Take Notice: City’s Cannabis Employment Protections Amendments Act Takes Effect

ArentFox Schiff on

Signed into law on July 13, 2022, the District of Columbia Cannabis Employment Protections Act, provides major new workplace protections for marijuana users. Under the Act, which went into effect on July 1, covered...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Q2 Employment Law Updates: Non-Competes, Religious Accommodation and More

DarrowEverett LLP on

So far, 2023 has been a wild ride for employers, a theme that looks to be continuing into the third quarter of the year. While certain predictions we made during Q1 came true in Q2 (we are looking at you, NLRB), others such...more

Lathrop GPM

Employers Should Take Note of Important Minnesota Employment Law Developments From the 2023 Legislative Session

Lathrop GPM on

The 2023 Minnesota legislative session was an active one and has resulted in a number of new employment law obligations for employers with Minnesota-based employees...more

Littler

Federal Court Holds That Employees Cannot File Private Lawsuits Against Their Employers Under New Jersey Cannabis Law

Littler on

In a case of first impression, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey found the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (“the Act”) does not create a private...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Failure to Hire Claims Go Up In Smoke for Pot-Using New Jersey Job Applicant

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

On May 25, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted an employer’s motion to dismiss a putative class action in Zanetich v. Wal-Mart Stores E., Inc. Addressing an issue of first impression, the...more

Littler

As Minnesota Nears Broad Marijuana Legalization, Employers Should Anticipate Testing, Policy Changes

Littler on

With just days remaining in the legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers remain on track to legalize recreational marijuana, significantly modify the state’s drug-testing law, and limit employers’ rights to prohibit employee...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

On the Horizon: Broad Employment Protections for Marijuana Users in the District of Columbia

Last summer, the Washington D.C. Council unanimously passed a bill that prohibits employers from refusing to hire, terminating, suspending, failing to promote, demote, or otherwise penalizing any employee who uses marijuana,...more

Payne & Fears

New California Law Prevents Employers From Taking Action Against Employees Based Solely on Cannabis Use Away From Work

Payne & Fears on

Drug screenings form a routine part of many hiring processes, but a new law may require employers to review this practice. The law, AB 2188, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 18, 2022, amends the California Fair Employment...more

Littler

California to Protect Off-Work Use of Marijuana, Set Testing Parameters for Measuring Workplace Impairment

Littler on

Last month, the California Legislature voted to join what it refers to as “the movement to legalize and regulate the non-medical use of cannabis” across the United States, including offering employment protection for such...more

Littler

Nevada Supreme Court Affirms Termination for Off-Duty Recreational Marijuana Use

Littler on

Ending years of discussion about the scope of state law employment protections for individuals who use marijuana recreationally, the Nevada Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a complaint by an...more

Pullman & Comley - Labor, Employment and...

Keep Off the Grass: A Reminder That Employers Must Address the Implications of Connecticut’s Legalization of Recreational Cannabis...

Beginning July 1, 2022, Connecticut’s law legalizing the recreational use of cannabis for adults 21 and over imposes new restrictions on employers while offering protections for employees who indulge. While that might sound...more

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