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The New Jersey Business Coalition (NJBC) submitted a letter to the Legislature this week urging a reversal of recent amendments to recreational cannabis legalization bills that weaken workplace safety and require added costs to businesses.

NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Ray Cantor explained to NJ Spotlight News Business Correspondent Rhonda Schaffler that the legislation weakens an employer’s ability to have a drug-free workplace, even in safety-sensitive industries.

“What has been done around the nation, and what we need here in New Jersey, is that for certain really high-risk professions, we need to make sure there’s no risk at all,” Cantor said. “And if you fail a drug test in those occupations, you shouldn’t be doing those occupations.”

In the letter, found here, the group of nearly 100 business and nonprofit groups explains how other states which have legalized recreational marijuana have done so without weakening workplace protections.

It also details how another recent amendment calling for the hiring and training of Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) to determine if an employee is impaired “will place additional burdens and costs on the business community.”

On Friday evening, Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate Democrats announced they had reached an agreement in principle on adult-use cannabis legislation. However, the final language of the bill had not yet been released.