In 2025, marijuana has become a hot topic, not only socially but also legislatively. Major states like California and New York have already legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana usage. Other states like Florida and Texas allow for medicinal marijuana but haven’t yet legalized recreational usage. This widespread growth has stretched across the country, and it is estimated that over half of all US adults live in a state with legal recreational marijuana. Because of the increase in pro-marijuana legislation, there has also been an uptick in users across the country.
This increase has had a measurable effect on how marijuana is treated related to the workplace. As of 2025, 48% of employers don’t test for cannabis in the pre-hire process. This is because of states like California, New York, and Washington, D.C. passing laws prohibiting or restricting that exact type of screening. Another reason is the unreliability of drug testing. From 2023 to 2024, there was a 45% increase in the number of invalid drug tests.
The combination of these 2 factors has created a much laxer attitude in the minds of employees as well. Around 1 in every 10 US employees admit to using cannabis, and half of those users admit to using before or at the workplace. While the exact future for marijuana is uncertain, it is likely that it will be a much hotter workplace topic from now on.
Source: US Drug Test Centers