Nevada Bans Most Pre-Employment Cannabis Tests

Nevada has become the first state to prohibit employers drug testing applicants for cannabis use on a pre-employment drug test, according to an ABC News report. The law, however, does not apply to people seeking public safety jobs, emergency medical technicians, or firefighters.

An amendment to the bill was also added to allow pre-hiring drug testing for operators of motor vehicles or other jobs that “in the determination of the employer, could adversely affect the safety of others.” The caveat was added following objections to the proposal by the Nevada Trucking Association.

Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, called those exceptions “common sense.”

“As our legal cannabis industry continues to flourish, it’s important to ensure that the door of economic opportunity remains open for all Nevadans.” – Sisolak in a statement, via ABC News

Assemblywoman Nina Neal (D), indicated that she sponsored the legislation because the ballot initiative approved by voters to legalize cannabis in the state “said it needed to be treated the same as alcohol.”

“I felt like we needed to have a policy to deal with it because we had a significant amount of people using on the weekends,” Neal said in the report.

Sisolak also signed legislation to create a Cannabis Compliance Board and Cannabis Advisory Commission in an effort at “reforming and strengthening” the state’s legal cannabis industry and ensure “the economic opportunities it creates are available to all Nevadans,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.

“Our marijuana industry is now a key part of our state economy, and to make sure it stays that way, we must hold it to the highest standard while empowering the industry to continue thriving,” Governor Sisolak said in a statement. “Nevada’s first-ever Cannabis Compliance Board will ensure this critical part of our state’s economy is positioned to become the gold standard for the nation.”

The drug test bill takes effect Jan. 1.