Getting High On The Job And Other Ways The Tech Industry Embraces Cannabis

Although many industries have welcomed the cannabis community, the technology sector is perhaps the most cannabis-friendly. It is significant in linking marijuana brands and products with their clients. 

For this reason, it’s not surprising that most workers in the sector are not opposed to the use of the substance. Consequently, this has caused an increasing acceptance of marijuana in the tech industry, according to the Fresh Toast. 

One of the ways this trend is unfolding is through the rising number of marijuana users within the tech community. The spike in people who use cannabis in the tech industry has been so significant that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has had trouble selecting the best and brightest talent in the cybersecurity space in recent years. 

Due to the FBI’s three-year policy against weed consumers, the organization has had a tough time hiring the top tech-savvy talent in the country as most of them partake. Discriminating against weed smokers could be detrimental to national cybersecurity due to immense threats from hackers. 

During an interview, the former FBI director James Comey made a light remark about hiring hackers who occasionally smoke cannabis. Although Comey set the record straight that he is against the consumption of marijuana, he pointed out that attitudes towards marijuana are changing, with many people within the tech industry leaning towards its legalization.

He also added that keeping up with cybercriminals is a tall order, and the three-year ban against hiring cannabis users in the FBI did more harm than good for the bureau. 

On the other hand, companies in search of the top talent in cybersecurity would not have the same problem as the FBI. It’s because only five to six percent of cybersecurity services test for cannabis. Therefore, this indicates that most employees who protect data for some of the largest brands are likely to be cannabis enthusiasts. 

A recent survey by Remedy Review found that 16 percent of American workers have admitted to being high at work. Although this may seem like a tiny percentage, it’s important to note that it represents people who have been under the influence of cannabis while on the job. 

These statistics represent a significant rise of about 60 percent in people who use marijuana while on the clock. Furthermore, when narrowed down to people in the tech industry, the value rises to 16.9 percent. 

Programmers are perhaps the most prevalent professionals in this category, with over a third of them admitting to taking cannabis while on the job. Thirty-eight percent of those who admitted to getting high at work cited improved productivity as the reason for using cannabis. 

Despite seeming like a wild idea, many programmers have ascertained that cannabis assists during brainstorming sessions, coding, prototyping, and testing. Essentially, most programmers are more likely to report enjoyment or experience programming enhancement motivation when working while high. 

What’s more, Amazon, the second-largest employer in the US, also announced plans to stop testing job applicants for cannabis use. Given that the company is among the most significant tech brands, it’s responsible for initiating transformative change through setting trends. 

The shift in policy means that only people applying for positions regulated by the Department of Transportation will need to be free of the substance. The company also announced its support for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. Since this is a small step, it helps the company scout for top talent since screening for cannabis reduces prospective applicants by almost 30 percent. 

Surging demand for cannabis has kept the industry afloat even throughout the pandemic, and with more states on the brink of marijuana legalization, it’s seemingly uphill from here. The tech industry will continue to help the cannabis sector grow with innovative gadgetry and other marijuana accessories. 

Among the most anticipated tech contribution to the cannabis industry is an electronic payment method for stores. The cannabis industry has been mostly a cash-only market, with business owners having to cut corners to ensure they can accommodate clients who prefer paying electronically. 

Even so, the use of cashless ATMs has caused plenty of uproars as it violates several compliance regulations for card companies. Moreover, since marijuana companies are less than likely to get support from federally run banks, the only hope for a cashless cannabis market is through FinTech innovators. With many of these technology developers getting high on the job, a solution is possibly one blunt away.