Amazon said Tuesday that it will stop testing jobseekers for marijuana. The company said it is making the change to reiterate its commitment to being an attractive employer.
The Seattle-based firm is second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind only Walmart. It is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from testing for it, reports NPR.
In a blog post, Dave Clark, CEO of Amazon’s consumer division, said Amazon will no longer test for marijuana in drug tests. The herb will now be treated the same as alcohol, the company announced, reports CNN.
“In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use,” Clark said, reports Reuters. “However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course.”
In March, a New York man sued Amazon, saying the company rescinded his job offer at an Amazon warehouse because he tested positive for marijuana. The city in 2020 had banned employers from testing job applicants for Cannabis.
Amazon said in a blog post that it will still test workers for other drugs and conduct “impairment checks” on the job. The company added some roles may still require a cannabis test in line with Department of Transportation regulations.
Amazon also said Tuesday that it will support the federal legalization of marijuana. The company is also pushing lawmakers to pass the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2021.
“We hope other employers will join us, and that policymakers will act swiftly to pass this law,” Clark said. Nevertheless, Amazon does not allow Cannabis sales on its platform.
