D.C. City Council Passes Bill Protecting Employees Who Fail Cannabis Tests

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bill passed by the Washington D.C. city council on Tuesday could prohibit employers from firing employees over failed cannabis drug tests, NPR reports.

The Cannabis Employment Protections Amendment Act of 2022 bans private companies from refusing to hire or terminating employees due to their legal use of recreational or medicinal cannabis.

While the bill offers significant protection, there are a number of exceptions. Workers in “safety sensitive jobs” such as operators of heavy machinery, construction workers, police and security guards who carry weapons, and medical professionals.

“The possession, storage, delivery, transfer, display, transportation, sale, purchase, or growing of cannabis at the employee’s place of employment,” is also prohibited under the bill.

If the law is violated by an employer, the employee has up to a year to file a complaint of noncompliance with the D.C. Office of Human Rights.

If Mayor Bowser signs the bill, it will go under a 60-day congressional review before officially becoming law.

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