Seattle, WA: In a public statement released on Tuesday, representatives of the Amazon company Free further clarification regarding its withdrawal from workplace marijuana drug testing as well as its support for the bill proposed by Senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden to repeal the federal criminalization of marijuana. The company initially announced changes to its marijuana policies in June.

A Blog Publish by HR Director Beth Galetti reaffirms that the company will no longer include pre-employment screening for marijuana use among new hires, except those in federally regulated positions (which require drug tests). The company further announced that it had “reinstated eligibility for former employees and applicants who had previously been terminated or deferred during random or pre-employment marijuana tests.”

Commenting on Amazon’s announcement, NORML Policy Director Justin Strekal said: “This is a welcome show of support from the second largest private employer in the United States. Almost 50 percent of the U.S. population now lives in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal, but in many industries, adult cannabis use outside of work can lead to undue discrimination and punishment from their parents. employers.

Strekal added, “NORML is hopeful that more companies will follow suit in the weeks and months to come and that more politicians will continue to support legislative measures to protect employees who reside in legal cannabis states. “

The company’s revisions to its drug testing policies are in response to the rapidly changing legal status of marijuana under state law. In addition, the company cited “national data [indicating that] Pre-employment marijuana testing has a disproportionate impact on people of color and is a barrier to employment.

Several states – Nevada, New Jersey, new York, and Montana – limit the ability of employers to screen candidates for past marijuana use, as is done by a growing number of municipalities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

The company also reiterated its support for pending federal legislation to repeal the marijuana ban, including the Marijuana Opportunities Reinvestment and Elimination Act (MORE) and the recently drafted Administration and Administration Act. the opportunities of cannabis.

“We support the removal of cannabis from the Controlled Substance Act. This will open up significant new economic opportunities for millions of capable individuals while beginning to repair some of the damage to hard hit communities, ”recently wrote Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy at Amazon. letter to the leaders of Congress. “We also believe that Congress should act to strike out federal non-violent marijuana crimes and allow the conviction of anyone currently incarcerated in federal prison for such a crime, while taking steps to encourage states to do so. same. “

Additional information on the MORE Law and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunities Law is available from NORML’s ‘Take the center of action.’ Further information is available in the NORML fact sheet, ‘Legalization of marijuana and its impact on the workplace. ‘

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