Amazon won’t be testing for marijuana

US’ 2nd-largest private employer will still do ‘impairment checks’

Amazon said Tuesday that it will stop testing job seekers for marijuana.

The company, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from testing for it.

In March, a New York man sued Amazon, saying the company rescinded his job offer at a warehouse because he tested positive for marijuana, even though the city banned employers from testing job applicants for cannabis in 2020.

Amazon said in a blog post that it will still test workers for other drugs and conduct “impairment checks” on the job. And the company said some roles may still require a cannabis test in line with Department of Transportation regulations.

Amazon has more than 25,000 full- and part-time employees in Pennsylvania, including about 3,000 workers at its fulfillment centers in Upper Macungie Township and in Palmer Township, making it one of the Lehigh Valley’s largest employers.

Last month, the retail behemoth announced it is looking for another 75,000 workers for its fulfillment and logistics network across the United States and Canada. A spokesperson didn’t have Lehigh Valley-specific hiring numbers, but Pennsylvania was identified in a news release as one of 14 states with the most open positions.

Seattle-based Amazon also said Tuesday that it would support the federal legalization of marijuana by pushing lawmakers to pass the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021.