As the use of marijuana escalates across the country and legalization efforts gain traction, its effect touches every part of our society.
The workplace is not immune to these consequences. Employers must be diligent and proactive in understanding how the use of marijuana affects individuals, the overall influence to the business, and the level of financial liability that is acceptable. An evaluation should be based upon legitimate science, the safety-sensitive nature of your business, and risk analysis as opposed to perception and emotion.
As legalization efforts for both medical and recreational marijuana continue, the barrage of media we receive about pot normalizes the references in the minds of Americans, placing our society in a precarious situation. The more frequently a message is heard, the more accepting people are of the message, even if it is falsely portrayed and harmful. As adults grow to accept the use of marijuana, so too will our youth, whose brains are not fully formed and are highly vulnerable to the damage sustained from consuming pot.