Colorado Bill Allowing Employees to Use Marijuana Rejected
A Colorado bill that would address medical and recreational marijuana use for employees while both on and off the job was rejected on Thursday, March 24, 2022.
What Was in the Now-Rejected Colorado Bill?
The bill that has since been rejected has quite the history between its creation and its recent rejection.
The bill was originally created by Colorado Representative Edie Hooton of the state's Democratic Party this past February. If passed in its original form, the bill would essentially prohibit employers from taking disciplinary action against employees that used medical marijuana products on the job during business hours as well as recreational marijuana off the clock.
What Happened to the Colorado Marijuana Bill?
Between its inception last February and its rejection on March 24th, the bill went through many changes. In the end, the bill had become quite watered down to essentially lay out the proposed creation of a task force that would oversee issues related to employees in the state of Colorado and marijuana use.
However, even in its altered state, the bill and proposed task force were both rejected by The House.
The Colorado Marijuana Bill's Rejection
The proposed bill was brought to a hearing with the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, a committee that operates under the Colorado House of Representatives, and was later shot down with a vote of 1-12.
The bill had several organizations and groups calling for its rejection including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Monument Town Manager, the Colorado Mining Association, Colorado Restaurants Association, Colorado Aviation Association, and Colorado Counties Inc.
As of now, it is unclear whether or not the bill will be further revised or if any other bills of this type will be put in front of The House in the near future.