Last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law a
bill prohibiting preemployment drug testing for the presence of
marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol. The law will take effect on May
10, 2020 – one year after it was signed into law. Although
many employers are opting to forgo marijuana testing due to the
expanding legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, this
law goes further by prohibiting preemployment marijuana testing,
making it the first of its kind.
Notably, the law contains several exceptions. First, it does not
apply to any individuals applying for work (a) in law enforcement
positions, such as police officers, peace officers or investigators
with the department of investigation; (b) as laborers, mechanics,
workers, contractors or other persons working on a public work
site; (c) in any position that requires compliance with Section
3321 of the NYC Building Code; (d) in any position requiring a
commercial driver's license; (e) in any
