Colorado employers would no longer be able to fire their workers for using cannabis if a new bill passes

Colorado employers would be prohibited from denying employment to or firing workers because of their off-the-clock cannabis use – either medical or recreational – under a measure introduced last week at the statehouse.

House Bill 1152 would also require employers to let their workers consume medical marijuana while on the job. The legislation would include exceptions for workers whose jobs are in dangerous fields or require fine motor skills, such as positions involving the use of heavy machinery.

“Marijuana is legal in Colorado,” said state Rep. Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat and prime sponsor of the bill. “And what people do in their spare time that doesn’t impact their work shouldn’t really be a problem for them. They should be able to enjoy the legal things that we have here in Colorado and not be penalized for it.”

The bill seeks to answer a workplace question that has been swirling in Colorado since voters passed Amendment 64 in 2012, legalizing the sale and use of recreational cannabis. Most states that have legalized medicinal and recreational pot leave the question over how to handle employees’ marijuana use up to employers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. [Read more at The Colorado Sun]