This bill is part of the 2023 Cannabis Bills section of our ongoing update on California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update which includes information on cannabis bills from other years.
SB 700 (Bradford D) Employment discrimination: cannabis use.
Note: Senate Bill 700 passed and was signed by the Governor.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, prohibits various forms of employment discrimination and empowers the Civil Rights Department to investigate and prosecute complaints alleging unlawful practices. Existing law, on and after January 1, 2024, makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalize a person because of the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace, except as specified.
This bill would make it unlawful for an employer to request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis, as specified. Under the bill, information about a person’s prior cannabis use obtained from the person’s criminal history would be exempt from the above-described existing law and bill provisions relating to prior cannabis use if the employer is permitted to consider or inquire about that information under a specified provision of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act or other state or federal law.
Read more about California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update.
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