Initiative 502 - Impacts to the Workplace fro Saving our Society from Drugs

SOURCE: Saving our Society Weed in the Washington Workplace

Initiative 502 seeks to legalize the cultivation, sale, distribution and possession of marijuana.  How will this affect the workplace?

Marijuana activists would argue that Initiative 502 allows employers to have policies that prohibit intoxication and use of marijuana in the workplace.  In fact, it does nothing to protect employers from employees who use marijuana off the clock. Even more disturbing, Initiative 502 could allow employees who are terminated for testing positive for marijuana to sue for wrongful termination.
Initiative 502 would be a disaster for employers and poses a significant threat to the safety of all employees.

Consider the following:

Studies indicate that impairment caused by marijuana can persist as long as 24 hours after smoking a joint - even though the user may no longer be aware that they are still impaired.
Marijuana impairs the ability to learn and remember, and users are more likely to have a decline of intellectual, workplace and social skills.
A study from the United States Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, revealed that employees testing positive for marijuana had 55% more accidents, 85% more injuries and a 75% increase in absenteeism than employees who did not test positive.
    
Initiative 502 would put Washington businesses at odds with policies outlined in the Drug-Free Workplace Act. This would have a significant impact on employers with government contracts whose compliance requires that they maintain a drug-free environment. Future government grants and contracts would likely go to businesses in states that have not legalized marijuana.

Initiative 502 is Wrong for Washington! 

For more information on drug policy, or to become a member of Save Our Society from Drugs, please visit saveoursociety.org