[caption id="attachment_3686" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Stafford County Courthouse at 1300 Courthouse Road.[/caption]

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors have approved adjustments to the county's drug-free policy for its employees.

According to the revised policy, county employees are still not permitted to partake in the use of cannabis on or off the clock. An exception has been made however for the medicinal use of cannabis oil as long as they have a valid certificate for its medical use.

However if any county employee is found to be in possession of cannabis or found to be under the influence of the substance that would serve as grounds for their termination. This part of the policy will stand regardless of whether or not they have the valid certificate for medical use.

The county has decided to be a little more lenient when it comes to their employment practices, any applicant who is 21 or older will not be subjected to the drug-free policy. This means that a potential applicant will not be denied employment even if they test positive for THC during the screening process.

The assumption being that the potential applicant may not be aware of the county's policy and also due to the fact that recreational use of cannabis is legal in Virginia.

However, if that employee is hired by the county they will have to retake the test within a period of 8 to 12 weeks from the date of hiring. This portion was previously contested by Rock Hill Supervisor Crystal Vanuch during a public hearing on the matter held in November.

Vanuch had questioned the randomness of the test especially if the applicant knew it was coming and could prepare for it.

Potential hires who are applying for temporary or seasonal positions will be denied employment due to the short term nature of the positions.

Another change to the policy is regarding the pre-employment medical physical which now only positions which are considered necessary such as public safety will have to go through that process.

Stafford County decided to revise their policy after the State of Virginia legalized the recreational use of cannabis for persons aged 21 and over. This was done in July 2021 and signed by Governor Ralph Northam. While Virginia is the first southern state to legalize cannabis for this purpose it is still illegal under federal law.

Including the commonwealth, 18 other states and Washington D.C. have fully legalized the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. Only six states remain fully committed to the illegalization of cannabis.