November 2014 – According to one recent poll, 9.7% of Americans have gone to work high. In view of the pro-legalization movement, SurveyMonkey, an online survey group, asked people about their marijuana use.
Government employers have statutes that limit or prohibit workplace testing, unless required by regulations for certain jobs. Privately owned businesses have the freedom to test but find it cost prohibitive. Many are trying to discern their next steps in respecting the law while establishing clear workplace rules.
Christopher Myers, co-founder of BodeTree, a small Internet business in Denver, Colorado, works with company finances and is therefore under close scrutiny for privacy and security. Myers said, “It’s an interesting balance, because we need a policy that is compliant with federal and state law. But we don’t want someone showing up to work drunk, on Vicodin or high on marijuana. From a policy point of view, no one knows how to handle it.”
