Clearing The Smoke: Pre-Employment Testing For Marijuana

by Susan Martin

Medical marijuana has been approved for use in at least 20 states and is legal for recreational use in two states thus far. How is pre-employment drug testing affected by this?  How many area employers typically test for marijuana?

The Survey Says

 According to a 2014 survey of 210 metro St. Louis businesses conducted by AAIM, 78% of the survey respondents include drug testing as part of their hiring process, and among those companies that conduct drug tests, 98% include testing for marijuana.  

Issues to Consider
Several tests typically are used for marijuana screening, and each method has its pros and cons.  
• Urine testing (used by 94% of the companies) can detect marijuana use several days afterward.  However, urine tests do not indicate whether a person was under the influence at the time of testing.  
• Hair follicle testing (used by 4% of employers) can detect marijuana usage for the longest amount of time afterward – weeks or months after smoking – but it often doesn’t show use in the previous few days.
• Saliva (oral) tests (used by only 2%) can show usage for a day or two.

The lingering question remains: If marijuana becomes legal, will employers have to allow it? The short answer is no. It’s like alcohol. It is legal, but you don’t have to allow employees to work drunk.

Susan Martin (susan.martin@aaimea.org) is a research and solutions specialist for AAIM Employers’ Association, which helps Missouri and Illinois companies manage their people and processes.