Amazon Will No Longer Drug Test Most Job Seekers For Marijuana

Amazon announced that it will no longer test most job seekers for marijuana. The decision comes as multiple states have legalized recreational marijuana and made it illegal for companies to test applicants for the drug.

"In the past, like many employers, we've disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use. However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we've changed course. We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation and will instead treat it the same as alcohol use. We will continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident," Amazon's consumer boss Dave Clark said in a blog post.

Amazon also said it will support the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021. The federal legislation would legalize marijuana, expunge criminal records, and levy taxes on marijuana to invest in communities impacted by the war on drugs.

"We hope that other employers will join us and that policymakers will act swiftly to pass this law," Clark wrote.

Amazon is currently facing a possible class-action lawsuit filed by a New York City man who claims he was denied a job because he tested positive for marijuana in violation of a city law that bars employers from screening job seekers for the drug.

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