New York City Bans Pre-Employment Testing for Marijuana

April 15th, 2019

The New York City Council passed a bill this week to ban pre-employment testing for marijuana usage. The bill specifically prohibits employers from requiring a prospective employee to submit to testing as a condition of employment. The bill does contain exceptions for security-sensitive jobs and those tied to federal or state regulations, contracts, or grants.

Bill sponsor Jumaane Williams said:

“Testing isn’t a deterrent to using marijuana, it’s an impediment to opportunity that dates back to the Reagan era– a war on drugs measure that’s now a war on workers. Prospective employers don’t test for alcohol, so marijuana should be no different. We need to be creating more access points for employment, not less. And as we push for legalization on a state level, it makes absolutely no sense that we’re keeping people from finding jobs or advancing their careers because of marijuana use.”