Tech giant Amazon has decided to become a marijuana-friendly employer as well as support the federal legalization of marijuana. In a June 1st press release, Amazon executive Dave Clark stated that the company is “changing course” on how they view marijuana.
We’re “adjusting our drug testing policy, the press release states. “In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use. However, given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course. We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation, and will instead treat it the same as alcohol use. We will continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident.”
“And because we know that this issue is bigger than Amazon, our public policy team will be actively supporting The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021 (MORE Act)—federal legislation that would legalize marijuana 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.”
Amazon employs thousands of people in Arizona and has multiple facilities throughout the state—including a massive fulfillment center in Phoenix.