Amazon backs federal bill to legalize marijuana and adjusts its drug testing policy for some workers
Amazon is throwing its weight behind federal legislation to legalize marijuana, while pledging to no longer screen some of its workers for the drug.
In a blog post Tuesday, Amazon’s consumer boss Dave Clark said the company supports the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, reintroduced in the House late last month. The measure would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, expunge criminal records and invest in impacted communities.
“We hope that other employers will join us, and that policymakers will act swiftly to pass this law,” Clark wrote.
Amazon also said it would adjust its corporate drug testing policy for some of its workers. The company will no longer include marijuana in its drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation.
“In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use,” Clark said. “However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course.”