July 20, 2026
The findings reflect a shifting workplace landscape as employers balance hiring needs with evolving attitudes toward marijuana use.
Marijuana continues to appear more frequently in workplace drug tests across the United States, so many employers are easing hiring policies as they compete for workers and adapt to changing state cannabis laws, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Quest Diagnostics reported that 4.4% of nearly eight million workforce urine drug tests conducted in 2025 were positive for marijuana, up from 3.9% in 2021. Hair testing, which detects drug use over a longer period, showed an even sharper increase, with 15% of tests returning positive results. Among employees subject to random hair testing, the positivity rate climbed to 21%, according to the company’s annual Drug Testing Index.
The findings reflect a shifting workplace landscape as employers balance hiring needs with evolving attitudes toward marijuana use. While cannabis remains illegal under federal law, many states have legalized its medical or recreational use, prompting some businesses to reconsider blanket testing policies for applicants.
Employment attorney Todd Logsdon, a partner at Fisher Phillips, told the outlet that labor shortages have influenced those decisions.
“I’ve had other employers tell me, ‘If I test for that, I’m not gonna have any applicants,’” Logsdon said. “They’re being very choosy about which role they test for.”
A 2024 Fisher Phillips survey of nearly 1,000 employers found that about half no longer require pre-employment marijuana testing for at least some positions. Among companies that continue screening applicants for cannabis, 44% said the practice has made recruiting more difficult, while nearly one-quarter said they were considering changing their policies.
Several major employers, including Amazon, Citigroup, Home Depot, and AutoNation, have eliminated marijuana screening for many non-safety-sensitive positions. However, industries such as transportation, aviation, construction, and other safety-sensitive sectors continue to require drug testing because of federal regulations and workplace safety standards.
Quest Diagnostics also reported increases in positive workforce tests for cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine in 2025. At the same time, the positivity rate for fentanyl in urine drug tests declined by about half from 2024 levels, according to the company’s findings.
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