California’s Cannabis Laws and Employment: Rights and Restrictions
On September 18, 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law of cannabis regulation that prohibits all kinds of discrimination against California employees based on their off-site cannabis use. The new law will be effective from January 2024. Presently, both medicinal and recreational use of cannabis is legal in California. However, employers may still want to keep their workplace drug-free. In this situation, confusion arose regarding the management and regulation of cannabis in the workplace.
We will provide a clear idea about the details of California cannabis laws for your better understanding. The guideline will be also helpful in case you want to go for filing a California cannabis lawsuit against your employer.
Effects of AB 2188 on California cannabis employment policies
- Assembly Bill 2188 amends California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) by giving protection to employees who use cannabis outside their workplace and work schedule.
- Section 01 of Assembly Bill 2188 dismissed the drug screening test that only finds non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids. The non-psychoactive metabolites remain in the body for weeks that do not prove impairment in the specific time of work. So, cannabis found through drug tests in recent weeks is considered ineffective to take action against the employees.
- Employers may need to renew their system of handling drug screening tests like scientifically valid drug tests that find out current impairment instead of non-psychoactive products.
- AB 2155 does not allow employees to possess cannabis on the job. At the same time, the employee can not be discriminated against for off-site cannabis use. In such cases, an employee may file a California cannabis lawsuit and recover back pay, reinstatement or front pay, punitive damages, interest, fees, and so on.
Exemption of the new cannabis law
- The employees of construction and business trades are not covered by this law.
- The new cannabis law exempts employees who need to go through a security clearance or federal background investigation.
- This law does not cover some specific positions of the employees who need to get tested for drugs according to other state laws and government contracts.
The legal limit of possessing cannabis
The state’s health and safety code has set a limitation on the amount of cannabis an individual may carry. According to the rule, you can not have more than 8 grams of concentrated cannabis on hand. If you possess more than this limit, your action will be penalized under state law.
Final Words
In brief, AB 2188 protects employees in California from workplace discrimination based on the off-site use of cannabis. At the same time, this new law does not violate the employers’ rights of maintaining a drug-free working environment. In case, the employers ignore the rights of the employees, they may proceed to file a California cannabis lawsuit against employers. This was all about the legal concerns of Assembly Bill 2188.
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