With cannabis finding more and more legal ground in the United States, some companies just aren’t taking as tough a stance against it as they used to. It used to be that pretty much anyone who smoked cannabis was mostly seen as a bum, a derelict, and a low-life.
But this stigma is quickly subsiding. Granted, there are still a lot of major corporations that drug test.
In fact, Veriheal describes it like this:
“Despite the growing acceptance and legalization of cannabis, many major corporations still drug test their employees for THC, the main compound in the plant.”
With that being said—nowadays, even some very successful people have been known to dabble in it—and honestly, there is a lot more respect being shown to professionals who enjoy ‘sparking up’ a bit on their own time.
And this has led to an increase in corporate companies and business entities taking a softer stance on cannabis. In fact—some companies actually don’t care if their employees smoke weed—as long as they don’t show up high to work, or are in a state of mind so altered that they either put others in danger or fail to perform their duties.
But why?
Why exactly are some companies entertaining a more ‘relaxed’ stance on cannabis? Here’s what you need to know.
1. Because Finding People Who Don’t Smoke Would Be Too Difficult
In some cases, locations, pay brackets, and industries, finding enough people who don’t smoke weed to fill a business and cover all of the positions can actually be a massive challenge.
In fact—this can sometimes seem like an impossible task.
In such industries, managers sometimes turn a ‘blinder’ eye to the issue—even if the official company stance on weed is that it’s not allowed.
Some managers understand that if they actually followed through with trying to keep people from using cannabis on their own time, they’d end up with an entire empty business with nobody to run it!
This is actually a real thing—and some companies just embrace it.
2. Because They View It As A Personal Freedom
Some companies tend to take a more ‘libertarian’ stance on the topic. And honestly, with how much the laws on legal marijuana have evolved, this isn’t surprising.
Some companies have really adopted an approach where they really only take disciplinary action for marijuana use if work performance has been negatively impacted. Obviously, there are labor laws to comply with—and these vary from state to state.
But more and more companies (especially the ‘hip,’ ‘holistic’ ones) are seeing this issue as a personal one, and not one that needs to be micro-managed at work.
3. Because They’re Mainly Just Concerned With Performance At Work
For many companies, the main area of concern is work performance. Thus–if an employee doesn’t hurt their work performance with their off-duty use of cannabis, the company doesn’t really see cannabis as an issue.
This is probably the most common stance to see among companies that aren’t trying to maintain a ‘strict policing of standards’ where marijuana is concerned.
They tend to draw the line at ‘job performance,’ and basically, rule that if employees are going to show up for work so stoned that they can’t perform their job—they’re probably going to lose it.
4. Because The Company, As A Whole, Sees Cannabis As A Mostly Good Thing
There are also some companies that are taking a more ‘activist-focused’ stance on the topic. Some companies actually see weed as being a good thing—and as long as it isn’t being abused to the point where it’s hurting job performance, the companies actually see it as a ‘good thing’ for employees to engage in (if it’s good for them).
For example—legal dispensaries and other weed-centric businesses are obviously going to be not just weed-friendly, but also almost political in their support of employees using the products off the clock.
This is probably more an ‘exception to the rule,’ rather than ‘the rule,’ but it’s still something that we’re seeing more and more as the legal landscape around marijuana changes.
Conclusion
There you have it! 4 reasons why some companies actually allow their employees to smoke weed. What do you think? Where does your employer fit into this spectrum? Hopefully, they’re lenient enough that you can still enjoy a bit of cannabis if the mood strikes on one of your days off.
