Will Marijuana Use Affect Your Chances of Getting Hired

cannabis use and getting a job

You will be forgiven for believing companies no longer ask potential employees questions related to marijuana use. Such is the growing wave of acceptance and legalization being enjoyed by medical and recreational marijuana in different states of the country. More legal markets are being opened as the generality of the public are starting to see the usefulness of the natural herb. This acceptance is the major reason why many are still asking how much having a background in marijuana use will affect their chances of getting hired. All signs point to marijuana use being a huge determinant in chances of being hired and there are different reasons why.

The social climate has never been so positive about marijuana. The Democrats have made it one of their top targets to fully legalize marijuana federally. This means things might soon change in many quarters around the cannabis industry. However, pending this defining move, the current reality is that cannabis is still classified as illegal federally. This classification makes marijuana use a major topic when it comes to the issue of hiring employees into a company. This was evident in a survey done by Simply Hired.The survey was carried out on hiring managers from over 700 companies across the country. The managers involved in the survey were from small and big companies which helped to get a good overview across different types of companies. 40% of the managers of the survey are from mid-size companies while 51% are from large companies. The majority of these managers opined that marijuana use is a strong determinant of the possibility of being hired in a company or being rejected.

This reality shows how many companies still view cannabis use among their employees. The general trend amidst such hiring managers is immediate disqualification of persons who have marijuana use in their portfolio. This is to show that most companies are not willing to employ known cannabis users. It also goes to show that such companies are likely to terminate the contract of an employee if a drug test reveals the use of cannabis. With such restrictions hanging around cannabis use and employability; this is a serious issue for the bolstering population of cannabis users.

State laws do not matter

Companies have the right to establish standards of procedures and determine criteria for employing personnel. This means that irrespective of the laws existent in a state, the rules of the company are still binding. The interpretation of this is that businesses are still allowed to hold a zero-tolerance policy on marijuana even in states where medical and recreational marijuana use is legalized. The reason behind this move has always been to cover the tail of the company. No company wants to be liable for the effects of marijuana use by employees and possible issues that might arise from such.

75.4% of the hiring managers interviewed for the survey believed that employees with be fired for smoking at work. This follows the precedence earlier established that companies will immediately disqualify applicants with a record of marijuana use. The common means by which most of such companies establish this is among their workforce is by seasonal drug tests. Such drug tests are tapered to search for metabolized components of cannabinoids in the body. 68.4% of the hiring managers under the survey also opined that companies are likely to fine or fire employees upon discovery of marijuana use.

A state like California with all its dexterity and width when it comes to matters about cannabis legalization and acceptance by the public is not left out in this reality. In 2015, 503 applicants for the position of correctional officer were disqualified based on marijuana use. This was a year before the full legalization of recreational marijuana use in the state meaning that the plan was in the works already. In 2018, that number doubled as 1053 applicants were disqualified through screening due to positive marijuana tests. This shows that the relationship between the employability of persons and marijuana use as a criterion is not dependent on existing policies in the state.

Size of the company matters

An inference drawn out from the survey carried out resulted in the conclusion that the size of the company matters when it comes to upholding the stance against marijuana use in workers. 43.5% of hiring managers who were from companies with less than 100 employees stated that no tests are conducted for workers for cannabis use. It is more likely for such companies to not disqualify applicants automatically simply based on marijuana use. This shows that larger companies are more insistent on the States of their workers in terms of marijuana use compared to smaller companies.

Why are the companies against cannabis use by their workers?

Even though we are in the age of cannabis legalization and acceptance, we cannot deny that some of the ripples of prohibition and the stigma of marijuana remain. This is very common among the elderly ones in the society some of which sit on decision-making boards of these companies. It must however be stated that some of their reasons are also very tangible and tenable.

Hiring personnel known to use marijuana regularly is a risk because there are chances she shows up to work under influence of the herb. This can result in impairment if it is not dosed properly and hinder the effectiveness of such a worker. There is also a risk of such an employee smoking joint or consuming edibles and gummies while on the job. This is probably why 92% of the hiring managers agreed that hiring an employee with a marijuana use record increases the chances of such a worker showing up to work under influence.

Bottom line

The truth remains that most companies are strictly against marijuana use by their workers which means that marijuana can affect someone’s chances of being hired. This is why it is advisable to steer clear of the product when due for a drug test in your company to avoid unwanted issues. Hopefully as time passes we'll see significant changes in the corporate world.