Cleveland will stop testing some city job applicants for marijuana now that recreational cannabis is legal in Ohio. 

City Hall appears to be lifting the testing requirement largely for applicants to office jobs. Marijuana testing will remain in place for first responders, airport workers, jobs involving machinery and roles that require a commercial driver’s license, a city press release said. 

Employees still must show up to work sober, and they are prohibited from using, possessing or selling drugs or alcohol at job sites. Tests will also remain if required by state law or collective bargaining agreements.  

Mayor Justin Bibb’s office announced the policy change Thursday morning, as the voter-passed Issue 2 takes effect in Ohio. The news release did not enumerate how many city jobs would now be exempt from the drug test. 

But even as recreational marijuana becomes legal, the future of Ohio’s laws remain in flux. The state legislature has been working up amendments that would tighten the rules passed by voters in November. 

“Maintaining a drug-free workplace is needed for obvious reasons, but it’s also important for us to be cognizant of the fact that the State is still finalizing regulation, taxation, and licensing terms and processes,” Law Director Mark Griffin said in the City Hall news release. “We will be keeping a keen eye on how things get sorted out in the legislature and court system, and will adapt procedures and update policy as necessary as the situation evolves in Columbus.” 

The city also must navigate federal law, which considers marijuana illegal. Cleveland will continue to follow the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act, and testing requirements remain for jobs governed by U.S. Department of Transportation rules. 

Cleveland has launched an effort to expunge low-level marijuana convictions. After running into legal roadblocks, the city lobbied for a change in state law. 

“The criminalization of marijuana in our state and the punitive effects it has had on education, housing, and employment opportunities have lasted far too long, but will eventually be a thing of the past – thanks to Ohioans who made their voices heard loud and clear last month when they voted to approve Issue 2,” Bibb said in the release. “We are proud to continue leading the way by rolling out these updates, which builds on our prior marijuana reform efforts and other initiatives aimed at improving our HR policies.”