Washington marijuana users won’t face losing their job over a positive drug test if a proposal under consideration in the state Legislature wins approval.
SB 5517 would update the Washington law that currently allows employers to turn-away job applicants and fire employees for testing positive for marijuana use in drug screenings.
Prime sponsor of the bill, Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), said current employment laws must be reformed to accommodate recreational legalization of the drug.
“The war on drugs has had a really negative impact on so many communities,” she said. “Part of that has been almost universal approaches to drug testing.”
Keiser’s bill had a public hearing Jan. 19 before the Senate Committee of Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs, with attendees voicing a mix of opposition and support.