Marijuana, Turnoffs and E-Notes: What Recruiters Were Reading in 2017

Illustrating the wide variety of issues that talent acquisition professionals face, some of the most-read articles on SHRM Online this year were about screening for marijuana, candidate turnoffs and tough jobs to fill. Recruiters, sourcers and hiring managers will face these same issues in 2018.
Should Marijuana Be Removed from Pre-Employment Drug Screens? Employers were faced with a conundrum in 2017: Should they stop testing applicants for marijuana use now that more states have legalized it for medicinal or recreational purposes and popular acceptance of the substance has spread? The drug remains illegal under federal law, and employers have the right to test for it, even in states where the substance is legal. And not only does federal law conflict with some states' laws, but state laws also vary, sometimes significantly, challenging multistate employers. But surveys show that some employers in states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana are gradually removing the substance from pre-employment drug testing panels.