Colorado May Protect Marijuana Users From Getting Fired

Colorado lawmakers are hoping to pass a new law that would allow employees to use marijuana on their own time without the risk of getting fired for a positive drug test.

As is stands right now, employers can legally drug test their employees and if marijuana shows up in their system, the employee can be fired for it, even though it's legal under state law. The new law will not allow employees to be under the influence on the job but aims to protect them from disciplinary action if they use THC on their own time.

One of the lawmakers behind the bill, House Democrat Jevon Melton had this to say about the proposed law:

“It was just a glaring gap that we have here in the statute, especially when we’re supposed to regulate marijuana like we are with alcohol,” Melton said. “If someone’s able to drink while they’re at home and on their free time, as long as they’re not coming into work intoxicated, then they’re not penalized with their employment.”

While Colorado led the charge of legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana, it was California that put a similar law into place, putting a bigger emphasis on state law, even if the drug is still illegal federally.

Some concerns raised involve high-risk jobs, such as oil field and heavy machinery jobs, that drug tests regularly being affected. On the flip side, some employees have been affected by positive drug tests when they legitimately rely on marijuana to treat seizures and other ailments.

[Canon City Daily Record]