With drug laws changing across the country, Center of Excellence staff surveyed the current state of hiring language regarding drug use, reviewing job listings from 50 Washington employers.
We found that of the 50 employers surveyed, 15 included explicit language regarding drug-free workplaces and drug testing. Others may drug test but not state that in an initial job posting. Selected testing language:
Boeing is a Drug Free Workplace where post offer applicants and employees are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies.
SEKISUI Aerospace is a Drug-Free workplace. Pre-employment drug screen required. Any applicant selected for this position will be required to submit to a background screening.
With the legalization of marijuana across the country, prospective manufacturing workers may not realize that the local aerospace supply chain often follows federal laws and rules, with defense contracts and federal requirements often superseding local law.
The clash between local and federal policy could be another contributing factor to the workforce shortage the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries are seeing in our area. If other industries don’t test, and marijuana is legal, what does a person choose?
What we’re reading on drugs and the workplace:
Marijuana and the Workplace: It’s Complicated
The rate of positive tests has increased 35 percent since 2010 in places where marijuana is illegal and has risen even faster in states where it’s legal.
Weeding Out Employees: The Ups And Downs of Drug-Testing Manufacturing Workforce
Now might be a good time for manufacturers to remind themselves — and their employees — why they have drug-testing policies and re-evaluate whether their substance abuse prevention policy is compliant with federal, state, and local regulations.
Workplace Cannabis Policies: A Moving Target
This article proposes a workplace cannabis policy paradigm that encompasses rapidly changing laws and regulations, legally defensible drug testing policies, and the needs of particular workplaces.