A recent article on Builder.com addressed the issue of legalized drug use, and in particular, “as more states decriminalize pot, how do companies address marijuana use by employees?” Good question…Especially as more & more real estate investors venture into this field of investing while many others may have employees who choose to legally partake. Interestingly, according to government statistics, over 22 million Americans used marijuana (in some form) in the past 30 days. Wow…
“An increase in drug usage affects one of builders’ biggest pain points: the labor shortage. There was a time when there were enough people looking for work that business owners didn’t sweat finding job candidates who were clean and sober.”
“Employers in every industry are confused and really don’t know what to do,” says Kathryn Russo, an attorney on Long Island for the Jackson Lewis law firm, which specializes in drug and alcohol testing. “The marijuana situation is worsening. It’s growing more confused by the day.”
“Amid that uncertainty, one thing remains unchanged: Construction can be a dangerous business. How much more dangerous is it when you have pot-smoking crew members who could get, as one employer put it, “one bubble off of level?”
Click here to read the full story on Builder.com.
