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Amazon said on Tuesday it was actively lobbying Congress to legalize cannabis at the federal level, in part to promote fair hiring practices.
The company’s efforts began in June, when it said it would no longer screen potential employees for marijuana use for positions not regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Amazon made the changes based on data that shows some cannabis policies disproportionately affect people of color, and due to a large number of states updating their own marijuana laws.
“Pre-employment marijuana testing has disproportionately affected communities of color by delaying placement and, by extension, economic growth, and we believe this unfair treatment is unacceptable,” Amazon said Tuesday.
The company also reiterated its support for two bills – the Marijuana Reinvestment and Removal of Opportunities Act 2021 and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunities Act.
According to the company, lobbying for federal legalization and relaxing its own cannabis policies will also broaden the pool of applicants and ease the hiring process.
“We have found that eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows us to expand our pool of candidates,” said Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human resources at Amazon, according to Business Insider.
Records examined by Insider in July reportedly showed Amazon spent $ 5 million on lobbying efforts in the second quarter.
Amazon recently joined a separate hiring drive earlier in September, announcing it would start covering the tuition fees of most of its 750,000 employees from January, with funding at approved institutions 90 days after the start. ‘hiring. The Career Choice program also plans to cover the costs of GED and ESL skills certifications.
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