How will the Continued Legalization of Marijuana affect the Hiring of Nurses?

December 22nd, 2015

The fact that more states are legalizing (or getting ready to legalize) medical and even recreational marijuana is playing havoc with HR managers worried about otherwise qualified candidates failing a pre-employment drug screening. In the medical industry, the hiring of nurses is obviously affected by this growing trend.

Some pundits predict the federal government will legalize or fully decriminalize cannabis by the end of the decade. What should your medical organization do to mitigate the impact of increased marijuana use on your hiring practices? Let’s take a closer look at the situation.

Employers have the Right to forbid their Employees from using Tobacco and Alcohol

Considering employers currently enjoy the right to restrict their workers from smoking and drinking, let alone illicit drug use, marijuana becoming legal won’t impact a company’s ability to drug test nursing candidates or members of their current staff. In fact, one of the most respected hospitals in the country — The Cleveland Clinic — recently added nicotine testing to their pre-employment screening.

If your healthcare organization is located in a state with legal medical or recreational marijuana, it is important your hiring policy clearly states that the legal status of cannabis doesn’t affect its prohibition among your staff. Remind them that all new employees still need to pass a drug test, and marijuana is included on the screen.

Quality patient care remains an overwhelming reason your nursing staff needs to be at their highest efficiency level when on the job. Considering the fact marijuana stays in your system for up to a month after its effects have worn off, a blood or urine test does a relatively poor job of truly measuring cannabis intoxication. Until better blood level standards are developed, however, healthcare employers need to err on the side of caution.

Expect Medical Organizations’ Anti-Drug Policies to remain Legally Enforceable

Recent court decisions have upheld the rights of companies to terminate employees due to failing a random drug test — even in states with some form of legal marijuana. Pay attention to the laws in your state in case they change, as Arizona and Minnesota are current exceptions to this rule as it concerns medical marijuana. Rest assured that as long as companies are allowed to pre-screen candidates for tobacco and alcohol, the same rule applies to marijuana if or when it becomes fully legal in United States.

If your healthcare organization needs assistance in building a top notch team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. One of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we offer the top candidates able to make a difference for your firm. Contact us today!

 

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