Washington Lawmakers Tackle Marijuana Interstate Commerce, Employment Protections And Equity On First Day Of 2023 Session

Washington State senators held a committee hearing on Tuesday to discuss a series of marijuana reform proposals related to employment protections, interstate commerce and social equity in the cannabis industry. And lawmakers in a House panel are also scheduled to discuss companion interstate commerce legislation later in the afternoon.

The Senate Labor & Commerce Committee took up the three marijuana proposals as the state works to improve upon its adult-use market. The panel’s chair, Sen. Karen Keiser (D), is sponsoring the employment-related bill.

Members didn’t vote on the legislation, but the hearings in both chambers bring the measures a step closer to advancing in the 2023 session that kicked off on Tuesday.

Employment protections

Under Keiser’s bill, which was pre-filed late last month, employers in the state would be prohibited from discriminating against most job applicants for off-duty marijuana use or for testing positive for non-psychoactive THC metabolites.

The legislation says that the legalization of adult-use marijuana in the state in 2012 “created a disconnect between prospective employees’ legal activities and employers’ hiring practices,” adding that most drug tests only detect inactive THC metabolites that can be in a person’s system for weeks after use.

The two-page bill would add

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Washington State senators held a committee hearing on Tuesday to discuss a series of marijuana reform proposals related to employment… Continue reading
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