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GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Wednesday approved House Bill 23-50, which removes marijuana from pre-employment drug testing for government job applicants.
Authored by Rep. Diego Vincent F. Camacho, H.B. 23-50 is now Public Law 23-27. It amends Public Law 20-66, or the Taulamwaar Sensible CNMI Cannabis Act of 2018, which legalized medicinal and recreational use of marijuana in the Commonwealth.
The exclusion, however, does not apply to those seeking jobs in safety-sensitive positions or jobs that directly affect the safety of one or more persons, including the operation of motor vehicles, heavy machinery, emergency services or the carrying of firearms.
P.L. 23-27 also “does not preempt any federal laws requiring an applicant to be tested for controlled substances, including federal laws governing CNMI employees subject to federal funding, federal benefits or a federal contract.”
In an interview on Wednesday, Camacho said P.L. 23-27 is important because “we need to be consistent with P.L. 20-66.” He said that when the cannabis law was enacted, the pre-employment test for government job applicants was not addressed.
“We cannot continue to allow any type of discrimination in terms of disqualification for individuals applying for a government job on the basis of being positive for cannabis use,” he said, adding that cannabis is already legal.
When an individual consumes cannabis legally, he added, “who are we to prevent them from working for the government?”
”}]] GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Wednesday approved House Bill 23-50, which removes marijuana from pre-employment drug testing for government job applicants. Read More