Washington, D.C. Bill Would Limit Employers' Ability To Discipline Based On Marijuana Testing

On June 7, 2022, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the Cannabis Employment Protections Act of 2022 (the "Bill"). If signed into law by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Bill would prohibit employers, with certain exceptions, from "refus[ing] to hire, terminat[ing] from employment, suspend[ing], fail[ing] to promote, demot[ing], or penalize[ing] an individual" due to such individual's:

1. "use of cannabis,"
2. "status as a medical cannabis program patient," or
3. having "the presence of cannabinoid metabolites in [their] bodily fluids in an employer-required or requested drug test without additional factors indicating impairment." "Impairment" for purposes of the Bill is defined as where "the employee manifests specific articulable symptoms while working, or during the employee's hours of work, that substantially decrease or lessen the employee's performance of the duties or tasks of the employee's job position, or such specific articulable symptoms