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New Bill Might Help Cannabis Users Keep Their Jobs (Cont'd) with state law, not at work, and not impaired at work.” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, workers who test positive for marijuana had 55% more industrial accidents, 85% more injuries, and 75% greater absenteeism compared to those who tested negative. In 2018, the nationwide rate of positive drug tests hit a 14-year high at 4.4% for Quest Diagnostics which bases this number on the 10 million tests it has processed. According to Quest, the number of non-safety-sensitive jobs who tested positive for marijuana in California rose from 2.3% the year before Proposition 64 to 3.1% in 2018, which is higher than the national rate of 2.8%. This upward trend isn’t unique to just California according to Barry Sample, Senior Director for Science and Technology at Quest Diagnostics. Sample says that Positive marijuana tests are trending upward in other states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana. “Marijuana is not only present in our workforce, but use continues to increase. As marijuana policy changes, and employers consider strategies to protect their employees, customers and general public, employers should weigh the risks that drug use, including marijuana, poses to their business.” Drug testing is required of 25 state agencies including Caltrans, where federal highway safety rules apply to truck drivers and heavy equipment operators. Caltrans has seen a slight uptick in the number of job applicants disqualified for marijuana use in the last two years compared to before Proposition 64. The California Chamber of Commerce is generally opposed to restricting the ability of companies to conduct pre-employment drug tests. “Allowing drug use in the workplace — including requiring an employer to accommodate an employee’s marijuana use — could jeopardize the safety of other workers as well as the public,” the Chamber said in a statement this month. Businesses with federal contracts face mandates to keep workplaces drug-free, said Robert Moutrie, a policy advocate for the Chamber. Issue 62 I Page 46
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