SB 1264 (Grove) would exempt certain law-enforcement related jobs from the employment protections for off-the-job cannabis use established in a bill Cal NORML sponsored, AB 2188 (Quirk, 2022). The author has amended the bill to narrow the exemptions to sworn law-enforcement officers; however, Cal NORML continues to oppose the bill.

The law enacted by AB 2188 was specifically aimed at eliminating unnecessary job discrimination brought about by the use of urine or hair tests, which detect only inactive metabolites of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis). These inactive metabolites can stay in a person’s system for days or weeks after a person uses cannabis, and thus have little or no correlation with fitness for duty when detected.

Under current law, California employers are free to test for recent use of cannabis by means of oral swab, blood or breath tests, which detect recent exposure to THC, or by performance tests that detect actual impairment.

SB 1264 is unnecessary and discriminatory. Please take a moment to write to your Assemblymember asking them to oppose SB 1264.