Las Vegas Review-Journal

Caesars won’t screen applicants for pot use

- By Richard N. Velotta Las Vegas Review-journal

Caesars Entertainm­ent Corp. has joined the ranks of companies that no longer screen job candidates for marijuana use as a condition of employment.

Butthatdoe­sn’tmeanthe company has stopped all testing.

A company spokesman on Monday said the need for good workers, coupled with the state’s recent legalizati­on of recreation­al marijuana use, has ended pre-employment testing for pot.

“A number of states have changed their laws and we felt we might be missing some good candidates because of the marijuana issue and we felt that pre-screening for marijuana was on the whole, counterpro­ductive,” said Rich Broome, executive vice president of corporate communicat­ions and community affairs for Caesars. “If somebody is believed to be using or high at work, then we would continue to screen for marijuana and other drugs.”

Some jobs, such as driver positions, still will involve pre-employment screenings for marijuana, he added.

“There are certain jobs which there are U.S. Department of Transporta­tion requiremen­ts that we’re mandated to pre-screen for marijuana,”hesaid.

Several other casino

CAESARS

A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Dollens said the growth of Nashville doesn’t take away from Las Vegas. But the valley can still learn from the success of Tennessee’s capital.

Both cities have made gains with the introducti­on of profession­al hockey teams. But gambling can intimidate younger and novice travelers and dissuade them from visiting Las Vegas, Dollens said.

Las Vegas hotel-casinos have invested in and experiment­ed with destinatio­n entertainm­ent and attraction­s to draw younger visitors. But the universal enjoyment of music has made Nashville appeal to visitors in their 20s and those in their 60s.

The Strip still needs time to build that reputation, Dollens said.

“It’s where Vegas will go,” he said. Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjour­nal.com or 702-3834602. Follow @wademillwa­rd on Twitter.

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