Whether you have been using weed for years or are just now dipping your toe into the waters of legal marijuana, you should know that legalization doesn\u2019t equate to a free pass. In Washington State, employers can have varying opinions on marijuana use, and getting drug tested can bring on a whole new meaning.<\/p>\n
So what is a Washington resident supposed to do if they enjoy marijuana but also need to bring home a paycheck every other week? Depending on who you talk to, you\u2019ll get a wide range of answers. In general, let\u2019s review the basics of what you need to know when it comes to cannabis and drug testing.<\/p>\n
Before diving too deep into drug testing laws and employer outlooks on weed use, it\u2019s important to know why cannabis is becoming such a big issue in the workplace. Unlike alcohol, an unarguably popular recreational substance, marijuana stays in your system long after use. If you have a beer the night before you\u2019re about to get drug tested, it\u2019s typically no big deal. Yet if you smoke a joint even weeks beforehand, you may find it poses a challenge.<\/p>\n
Why such a huge discrepancy? Marijuana affects many major organs, including the brain, liver, and your heart. Because your body processes it much differently than other compounds, even a one-time smoke can stay in your system up to four days. People who use weed fairly often will have at least a 10 day waiting period before a urine test would show up drug free, and heavy users could have 30 days or more to wait before being able to pass a drug test.<\/p>\n
In many cases, individuals who are on the job hunt don\u2019t think about this element of their weed use, and poor planning can lead to the inability to pass a drug screening. When the prospect of waiting at least one month before obtaining employment is on the line, people often get frustrated and blame employers for not being more lenient. However there\u2019s a good reason for standards to be as strict as they are, as we\u2019re about to learn.<\/p>\n
Washington residents as a whole are still getting used to the idea that marijuana is now legal to use for both medicinal and recreational purposes. With such a big change in legalization, it\u2019s only natural that it will take some time for certain guidelines to become formally established. At this point in time, the law is a little gray when it comes to weed use.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that it\u2019s legal, you can never use weed on the job, similarly to alcohol or any other substance that would be questionable in the workplace. But what happens if you want to smoke over the weekend and show up to work Monday morning? That\u2019s where things get a bit hazy.<\/p>\n
At this point in time, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to testing positive for marijuana while on the job. If you are obviously high, your boss does have the right to exercise suspension or even termination from your job. When you haven\u2019t smoked in days but test positive for weed, it\u2019s up to the employer as far as how to handle the situation.<\/p>\n
Some take the approach that what you do on your own time is fine, and as long as the only thing showing up on your test is legal weed, you\u2019re good to go. Other hard drugs will probably lead to different types of conversations, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n
Others have a strict no-tolerance policy and will instantly fire you if your drug screening shows positive results. Why are they so harsh? Ultimately, marijuana is still illegal on a federal basis, and certain employers in Washington want to maintain their reputation as individuals who follow every law to the letter. Furthermore, any type of on-the-job accident that can be attributed to weed use creates panic in the eyes of many employers.<\/p>\n
Still some jobs will be somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, and may ask that you talk to their HR department before returning to work, or might ask you to take some vacation time until your test can come back negative. How your employer chooses to handle the situation is as unique as each company themselves.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019ve talked about what might happen if you test positive for weed when already employed, but what happens if you\u2019re job hunting and you are asked to take a drug test? More and more staffing agencies in Washington are starting to enforce mandatory urine testing along with the submission of your application, and sadly this strict policy is causing more and more people to go without work.<\/p>\n Some estimates show that over 30% of people who apply to work with a temp agency are failing their drug test, a number that is significantly higher than it was in past years. Perhaps taking such a hard stance on marijuana is creating more problems in the job market than many anticipated.<\/p>\nPossible Solutions<\/strong><\/h1>\n