Pandemic related
Greener pastures: Marijuana jobs are becoming a refuge for retail and restaurant workers
Many Americans reassessed their jobs and career prospects as the pandemic reshaped their social and working lives. Retail workers in particular are quitting at record rates, in search of consistent hours, better benefits, and more opportunities to advance — which many say they’re finding in the legal cannabis industry.
Additionally, some big companies, including Amazon, are allowing for cannabis users to be employed, as this opens up their options for employees during these short staffed times.
Amazon is supporting the effort to reform the nation’s cannabis policy
Sept. 21, 2021
“An update on our advocacy for equitable workplaces.
In June 2021, we announced that Amazon would exclude marijuana from our comprehensive pre-employment drug screening program for unregulated positions (e.g., positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation). We also reinstated the employment eligibility for former employees and applicants who were previously terminated or deferred during random or pre-employment marijuana screenings.
We made these changes for a few reasons. First, we recognized that an increasing number of states are moving to some level of cannabis legalization—making it difficult to implement an equitable, consistent, and national pre-employment marijuana testing program. Second, publicly available national data indicates that pre-employment marijuana testing disproportionately impacts people of color and acts as a barrier to employment. And third, Amazon’s pace of growth means that we are always looking to hire great new team members, and we’ve found that eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows us to expand our applicant pool.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/21/amazon-will-lobby-government-to-legalize-marijuana.html
Amazon says "time has come" for U.S. to legalize marijuana - CBS News
Amazon ditched cannabis testing, and more employers will likely follow - CNN
June 23, 2021
“States and cities appear to be taking more proactive steps on establishing workplace protections for employees who consume cannabis during their off-hours, he said, noting Atlanta, Georgia, as a prime example. There,
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enacted an executive order eliminating drug screenings for city employees entering "non-safety sensitive positions."
"This isn't simply a local municipality responding to the change in law that's occurring in their state, it's a municipality being proactive and responding to the change in the culture in their area," Armentano said. "That to me really highlights how far the pendulum has swung."”
[...]
“Last week, shop chairmen in Michigan and Indiana of the labor union UAW called on General Motors to stop screening for cannabis use as one potential solution for hiring shortages,
the Detroit Free Press reported.
"In my 34 years [at GM], I've never seen the difficult time we're having right now to maintain headcount, to recruit headcount," Rich LeTourneau, shop chairman of the UAW Local 2209 chapter, which represents the Fort Wayne, Indiana, General Motors workers, told CNN Business in an interview.
The pay scale has to improve, he said, adding that he believes the automaker should seriously consider adjusting its drug testing policy in order to attract more workers.
The issue is under review internally within the company, Dan Flores, a GM spokesperson, told CNN Business.”
