Roanoke County employees remain prohibited from using marijuana because it is still deemed illegal at the federal level, said Peter Lubeck, the county attorney.
“We have instructed employees that we consider it illegal, we expect you to abstain from it at all times but it’s not something that we’re going to be regularly screening for,” he said. “If someone reports to the workplace and appears under the influence, we have a policy for how we would screen them.”
The city of Roanoke is still in the process of developing a policy in response to legalization, according to a spokesperson.
Carilion Clinic has not changed its policy prohibiting the possession and use of recreational drugs on its campus, spokeswoman Hannah Curtis said. Asked whether use of cannabis off campus while off the clock would affect an individual’s employment status, Curtis said employee impairment at work is prohibited and employee behavior is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Virginia Tech employees are prohibited from using marijuana when doing the work of the university on or off campus. The university doesn’t conduct drug testing unless it is required by a regulatory agency, state or federal law; examples include university police officers and employees who hold a commercial driver’s license, spokesman Mark Owczarski said.
So if an employee is off campus, off the clock and in compliance with the law, and does not hold a position that requires testing, using marijuana would not affect their employment status, Owczarski said.
