Bill > H2179

This bill aims to prohibit employment discrimination against individuals who legally use cannabis by establishing new protections for employees and job applicants. The bill defines key terms like "marijuana," "qualifying patient," and "employer," and restricts employers from testing prospective employees for marijuana use before extending a conditional job offer. Employers are prohibited from taking adverse employment actions against qualifying patients based solely on their status as medical marijuana users, unless the individual is impaired at work or in a safety-sensitive position. The bill allows employers to maintain workplace drug policies for substances other than marijuana and does not require employers to accommodate marijuana use in the workplace. Importantly, the protections do not apply to safety-sensitive positions or situations where compliance would violate federal laws, regulations, contracts, or funding agreements. The legislation specifically protects qualifying patients from being refused employment, terminated, penalized, or denied promotion based on their marijuana use outside of work, with drug test failures only being actionable if there is reasonable suspicion of workplace impairment.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2179