City officials approved municipal provisions this week suspending pre-employment drug screenings for public employees in non-safety sensitive positions. The policy change — which took immediate effect — was campaigned for by Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon M. Scott, who said: “[O]utdated and costly pre-employment drug and alcohol screenings only served to block qualified and passionate residents from obtaining employment with the City. … I am grateful that we are making this change now so that we can continue to improve local government operations and better serve the people of Baltimore.” According to reporting in The Baltimore Sun, “Pre-employment drug testing still [will] apply for so-called positions of trust, which includes jobs responsible for children, the safety of others, money or sensitive materials. Hires for senior city staff, such as department and agency heads, also would be subject to such testing.” The new policy is known as Administrative Manual Policy 205-8.
NORML, 12/15/2021 19:00:00