Many states in the US are striving to create bills and laws that will govern how marijuana is introduced for leisure and medical use. But, some jurisdictions are not ready to embrace or legalize the use of marijuana, whether for entertainment or medical purposes. In that context, a new Missouri bill has come up. Official reports state that this bill would enable employers to drug test their employees randomly.
The bill also allows employers to fire any employee whose drug test results show any percentage of marijuana in their system. Dubbed Senate Bill 610, if enacted it would enable employers to test their employees and even prospective employees for medical marijuana. The bills sponsored by Missouri Sen. David Sater (R-Cassville).
Any employers working and operating within this jurisdiction would have the discretion to act based on the test results. They could fire at any given time without warning if a drug test showed THC in an employee’s system.
Even though Missouri is yet to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, several lawmakers are convinced that the bill can play an essential role in preparing for the future of marijuana legislation.
If this bill is passed, it would also enable employers to institute a random drug-testing policy and prohibit medical marijuana at their business. Sometime last year, Sater sponsored a similar bill dubbed SB 227. That bill is currently in the Small Business and Industry Committee. However, it failed to gather enough support last year.
