CLEVELAND – Though it is now legal for Ohioans to use cannabis, the 2023 passage of Issue 2 does not prevent employers from drug testing job applicants and employees and instituting zero-tolerance policies. Employers in Ohio are still permitted to penalize workers who use, possess or distribute marijuana.
But the City of Cleveland announced in December that it would eliminate pre-employment drug tests for some city jobs, Cleveland.Com reported.
“Pre-employment testing can oftentimes create obstacles in filling open positions by preventing otherwise qualified candidates from even applying,” said Matthew Cole, director of human resources for the City of Cleveland, in an email. “These policy updates are more cost-effective and will ultimately help us widen the applicant pool for several City positions.”
Katherine Mills, a Cleveland-based employment attorney at Fisher Phillips, says companies can still enforce pre-employment, random or reasonable suspicion testing of all employees…