Caesars Palace Las Vegas And Marijuana- Casino Regulatons For Employees Who Smoke Marijuana
On July 1st 2017 joining hands with a nationwide movement, Las Vegas officially legalized marijuana. The commercial sales of Marijuana were initiated and dispensaries across the states opened up where cannabis was easily available. It was gradually perceived that cannabis was not as dangerous as it was portrayed to be. Moreover, people with medical conditions subsequently had to consume it but struggled to get their hands on marijuana. So legalization opened gates for revenue and employment opportunities. As dispensaries opened up across the state and access to the purchase of marijuana became much less complicated.
Legalization was consequently followed by some setbacks. Hotels and casinos in Las Vegas still came under the law where the consumption of marijuana was strictly prohibited. Both the hotels and Casinos came under the Federal administration and as per the federal law marijuana is still considered illegal. Moreover, along with the ban on consumption another law was passed regarding the employment policies. Hotels and Casinos employees were required to pass a drug test. Therefore, in no time this policy became a major challenge for Casinos and hotels.
With a widespread and easy access to Marijuana it was hardly possible to find employees who were able to pass the drug test. This is why Casinos such as Caesars Palace opted to fall out of the marijuana drug testing policy.
They claimed that jobs such as that of a bartender or a waiter does not require a drug test to pass, as these jobs do not pose a serious threat to someone’s life. This test should be restricted to employees in the heavy manufacturing industries or transportation. Passing a marijuana drug test should not be a compulsion for serving drinks.
Another debate that has originated from the legalization of Marijuana in Las Vegas but a clear cut ban in hotels and Casinos is that of public consumption. As per the recreational law of 2017, the public consumption is prohibited. People are only allowed to consume marijuana within their private residences. Which sparks an issue in terms of how, Vegas is primarily a tourist destination. People from different places visit Vegas, stay in hotels, visit Casinos and most importantly they do not have a personal residential place. Therefore, around 63% of the consumers of marijuana are tourists and face reservations regarding its consumption. The hotels thus demanded the permission to make safe spaces within the hotel property, where smoking marijuana was allowed. The bill regarding the licensed consumption spaces was not passed despite the pressures. Moreover, dispensaries are not allowed to deliver marijuana products to hotels. This restricts its consumption and takes on a toll on the revenue generation.
Additionally, we observe how the law allows the workers to consume marijuana during their non-work hours but make it a compulsion for them to pass a marijuana drug test in the morning for work. Even though the effects of marijuana consumption wear off quite easily but “THC” (tetrahydrocannabinol) stays within the system for much longer. This results in employees failing the tests. This makes it difficult for the Casino owners to find employees and deprive many people off of job opportunities.
In a state where marijuana consumption is legal it is important to come up with set of rules and regulations for workers that aligns with the legal laws. An individual could consume marijuana for a medical condition or their own leisure during non-work hours and thus have the psychoactive effects of it during the day. Therefore, keeping this test as a job requirement for custodial services is not justified. This is why we see places such as Caesars palace no longer testing their employees, until and unless they suspect that the employee is high during work hours.