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https://www.wsj.com/articles/marijuana-employee-alertness-work-weed-11633468501

Marijuana use by employees is the cause du jour (“At Work: New Questions as Marijuana Comes to Work,” Personal Journal, Sept. 30). What employers should really care about, however, is an employee’s alertness level while performing the job. This holds true all the more so for employees in safety-sensitive jobs such as tower repair, where a lack of alertness could result in death.

Marijuana use is only one of many factors affecting employee alertness. Others are poor sleep, anxiety and changes in prescribed medications, to name a few. I think employers will be better served by exploring ways to assess an employee’s alertness regardless of the cause. If employees aren’t as mentally alert as they normally are, employers should help them address it before they get behind the wheel or fire up that chainsaw.

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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.