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Employers starting to drop marijuana tests

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Posted at 10:20 AM, May 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-03 10:20:41-04

Employers nationwide are quietly dropping marijuana from the drug tests they require of prospective employees.

Marijuana testing has been a fixture at large American employers for at least 30 years. But experts say it excludes too many potential workers at a time when filling jobs is more challenging than it's been in nearly two decades.

Though still in its early stages, the shift away from marijuana testing appears likely to accelerate. More states are legalizing cannabis for recreational use; Michigan could become the 10th state to do so in November. Missouri appears on track to become the 30th state to allow medical pot use.

Medical marijuana users who were fired or had job offers rescinded also have won lawsuits in the past year in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.