Pre-Employment Cannabis Testing Abolished for Government Employees in Michigan

MICHIGAN – Effective Sunday, October 1st, Michigan officially abolished pre-employment marijuana screenings for the majority of its state workers.

According to a report by Marijuana Moment, the Michigan Civil Service Commission approved an amendment in July that eliminates pre-employment tests, and opportunity for individuals previously penalized over positive THC tests to have those sanctions retroactively lifted.

The commission’s aim is to treat cannabis more similarly to alcohol, recognizing that weekend marijuana use does not necessarily imply workplace impairment on Monday.

Under the revised rules, some positions will still require applicants to undergo drug testing, such as:

• Positions requiring a commercial driver’s license
• Operating heavy equipment or machinery
• Law enforcement and corrections officers
• Healthcare providers
• Individuals working with controlled substances
• Positions involving hazardous or explosive materials

Under the new amendment, one-third of state jobs, approximately 14,000 out of 48,000 positions, will still necessitate drug testing.

Under the previous legislation, individuals testing positive for cannabis during the application process for classified positions would lose their conditional job offers and encounter a three-year prohibition from applying to other state agencies. Now, individuals subject to a three-year sanction due to a positive result from a pre-employment drug test, are able to request a prospective rescission of the sanction.

According to the Detroit Free Press, 151 who had received conditional job offers were denied in 2022 after testing positive for cannabis.

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