In a unanimous vote, the City of Oakland inched closer to becoming the first in California to end recreational cannabis testing for city employees.
The ordinance, which was authored by Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, seeks to end the practice of testing employees and prospective employees for traces of cannabis in their system.
However, workers suspected of being under the influence at work will still be subject to drug tests. So will employees with documented substance abuse issues who have agreed to drug testing
Prior to a full council vote, the City will need to engage labor unions on the proposed policy change. Atlanta, New York City and Philadelphia are cities that have enacted similar policies around employee use of recreational cannabis outside of work.
