California employers can no longer punish employees for using marijuana outside work
Beginning Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, California employers will be barred from discriminating against employees who use marijuana in their off hours. - Photo by Brad Horrigan | bhorrigan@courant.com/Hartford Courant/TNS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Beginning Monday, California employers will be barred from discriminating against employees who use marijuana in their off hours. Assembly Bill 2188 requires employers to change how they test for marijuana use among employees, using tests that show current impairment and not just past usage. The law carves out some exceptions, such as for those who work in the construction trades. “Technology to test for marijuana impairment has actually advanced quite a bit, so basically employers can now just test for THC — the psychoactive component in cannabis — and that can show impai...