This Commitment Can and Should be the Catalyst to a Much Larger Change—Ending Drug Testing for All Drugs—that Would Ensure a More Just and Equitable Future for Millions of People
New York, NY—In response to Amazon announcing it will no longer test those of its employees not regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for marijuana, Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), released the following statement:
“As the United States’ second largest private employer, Amazon committing to no longer test those of its 1.3 million employees not regulated by DOT for marijuana—and publicly supporting the MORE Act—is a huge step forward in eliminating one of the main ways the drug war has robbed so many of their livelihoods. Drug testing has never provided an accurate indication of a person’s ability to perform their job, and yet this incredibly invasive practice has locked out millions of people who use drugs—both licit and illicit—from the workplace.
“We implore Amazon and other employers to let this be the starting point and not the goal post. This change can and should be the catalyst to a much larger move—ending drug testing for all drugs—that would ensure a more just and equitable future for millions of people, especially Black, Brown and Indigenous communities who have been disproportionately impacted by these policies.
“We urge other employers to take note and follow suit, ending this counterproductive practice once and for all. And we urge the House to swiftly pass the MORE Act absent of a harmful provision that was added to exclude federal workers of drug testing protections, so we can roll up our sleeves and get on with the work of passing marijuana justice in the Senate as well.”
For more information about drug testing, visit DPA’s drug testing fact sheet. DPA also recently launched a new Uprooting the Drug War initiative, which includes a series of reports on how the drug war has infected critical systems people interact with on a daily basis, including employment.
