LAS VEGAS — Cannabis use may no longer be an obstacle to finding employment at Caesars Entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip.
Caesars has decided that they will no longer screen for cannabis use among potential employees. There could be exceptions for employees seeking transportation jobs for the company.
Just because Caesars is changing their policy it does not mean they condone cannabis use in the workplace. If an employee shows up to work stoned they may be terminated.
“We just felt that given the changes in laws that were happening across the country, it was prudent for us to take a different point of view on marijuana than other drugs in the pre-employment screening process,” said Richard Broome, vice president of communications at Caesars according to NBC 3 News in Las Vegas. “[It’s] very different when you’re at work. If you’re high at work, we will test. And if you have the presence of drugs in your bloodstream, it can be cause for dismissal,” he continued.
As mg reported last week, a growing number of employers have dropped cannabis testing when screening potential hires. Simply put, with unemployment numbers so low, applicants may be able to find work that does not require them to pass a cannabis test. Companies that still test employees for cannabis use are having a hard time filling out their staff, especially in states that have legalized.
While cannabis testing had become the norm for the past few decades, many no longer view it as an indicator of how well an employee will perform and employers are realizing they could be losing out on quality candidates. Cannabis is fat soluble and can take up to eight weeks to exit a users system. Many harder drugs, such as cocaine, are water soluble and exit the body within a few days. Alcohol, for instance, which is legal, is the drug most likely to cause a workplace accident or lead to employees not showing up for shifts.
“Alcohol is the single most abused drug in America,” according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Nevada started recreational cannabis sales in July 2017. Currently, there are nine states that have legalized recreational cannabis use and 29 states that have legalized medicinal use.
