An Illinois Senate committee began a debate this week on a bill that would protect workers from being fired for using cannabis in their free time. With some exceptions, the measure would prohibit employers from firing workers or discriminating against job applicants merely for testing positive for marijuana use. The House of Representatives already passed a version of the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan (D), on a 61–41 vote earlier this month. At a hearing of the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, senators spent about half an hour discussing details of the bill before its Senate sponsor, Sen. Robert Peters (D), abruptly paused the debate. Amid a series of critical questions from Republicans on the panel, Peters announced that he was pulling the bill from the record and would return to it later. “I’m gonna make this easier,” he said in response to a string of hypotheticals about when certain workers could be fired under the bill. “I’m gonna pull this from the record for right now, and I’ll come back.” Peters earlier in the hearing had expressed optimism that the discussion would proceed smoothly. “This is a very negotiated bill,” he said.
Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 03/31/2022 08:20:00