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Title
Colorado's High Burns Loews
05/04/2014

Lowe’s doesn’t want people acutely or sub-acutely under the influence of marijuana operating forklifts, using circular saws, cutting ceramic tiles, driving company trucks — or cleaning its toilets. And no, the company isn’t interested in lowering its hiring standards, either, said Amy, the friendly and always-approachable manager at my favorite Lowe’s store....  “We’re trying to find the best people to hire, and it’s really hard these days,” Amy the manager told me....However, one thing is certain: Lowe’s isn’t the only Colorado employer struggling to find drug-free workers to fill decent jobs.


Colorado, Employer, drug testing
Medical Marijuana User Sues Company That Fired Her
08/08/2014
Business, Employer
Marijuana and the Workplace
08/18/2014

The Marijuana Report


workplace, Business, Employer
Employers grapple with possibility of legal medical marijuana
09/12/2014
Business, Employer, drug free workplace
What will Legal Marijuana Cost Employers?
04/18/2015
drug free workplace, Business, Employer
Colo. company says pot pushed them out of state
04/23/2015

DENVER – Little Spider Creations had been making scary creations in Denver for 24 years, but the owner of the company says legalizing recreational marijuana changed everything. He recently moved his company to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Marijuana showed up in 20% more employee drug tests the first year marijuana was legalized/ Quest Diagnosis 


Employer, Moving
Colorado Supreme Court Provides a Moment of Sanity on Marijuana
06/30/2015

In a unanimous (6-0) decision on June 15, 2015 in Coats v. Dish Network, the Colorado Supreme Court, ruled that an employer could fire an employee for testing positive for marijuana in that state despite the legality of both medical and recreational marijuana, even if the marijuana use were based on a physician’s recommendation and even if the marijuana use were limited to nonworking hours away from the workplace. The Colorado state marijuana laws are in conflict with the federal law, under which marijuana is an illicit substance and in this Supreme Court ruling, marijuana use was therefore considered “illegal.”


Colorado, Employer, Business, supreme court
Medical marijuana: A growing issue for employers in Workers’ Compensation
07/02/2015

Currently, there are several factors hindering adoption:
1.    Illegal at federal level
2.    No FDA approval. Medical marijuana is not viewed as safe or effective by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
3.    Lack of proof of efficacy
4.    Evidence-based guidelines.
5. Effect on work performance. 
6. Drug-free workplace programs


Employer, workman's comp
Employers Grapple with Heroin Epidemic
09/02/2015

An employer should have a written drug testing policy that includes:  

  • Descriptions of the types of tests that employees can expect to be asked to take.
  • Descriptions of the testing procedures. 
  • The disciplinary consequences for violating the drug testing policy.

 


Employer, drug testing, drug free workplace
Work Wanted: Employers planning to ban marijuana users from being hired at all despite legalization push
01/23/2016

According to the Institute for a Drug Free Workplace, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that 50 percent of all on-the-job accidents and up to 40 percent of employee theft is due to drug abuse. The Institute says that drug-abusing employees are absent from work ten times more frequently than their non-using peers, and the turnover rate is 30 percent higher than for those employees who do not engage in abuse of illicit drugs.
Between safety concerns and cost savings, companies are very invested in keeping pot users out of the workplace. Something to think about if Florida ever legalizes marijuana: getting fired is a real buzz kill.


Employer, drug free workplace, Business
Trends in Marijuana Legalization: A Wake-Up Call for Employers
02/01/2016

Acceptance of employee marijuana use means increased accidents and injuries, loss of workplace productivity, increased workers' compensation claims, and employee turnover, to name a few problems (National Institutes of Health). These losses have real dollar value that impacts small-business owners considerably. Ultimately, the most costly battles will be fought in the courts at the employers' expense. Weakening or removing employers' rights for a safe and drug free workplace ultimately threatens all of us.


Employer, Employees, drug free workplace
Workplace cannabis: What employers and employees need to know
02/01/2017

“There is some misinterpretation that employers can’t fire employees now that [cannabis is] legal, but employers can still enforce their policies as there is nothing in the law that says they have to accommodate that,” said Robin Largent, partner at Carothers Disante & Freudenberger LLP in Sacramento.
However, employers who do not have a well-documented cannabis policy could expose themselves to allegations of discrimination.   “I advise clients to modify their policy if necessary to make clear it’s illegal, giving employees clear expectations,” Daniel said.


workplace, Employer
SAM-What Employers and Businesses Should Know about Marijuana
03/31/2017

Marijuana legalization also involves significant downsides to existing businesses.  As marijuana use has increased in states that have legalized its use, so has use by employees, both on and off the job.  Large businesses in Colorado now state that after legalization they have had to hire out-of-state residents in order to find employees that can pass a pre-employment drug screen.


SAM, Employer, Business
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