There many questions you should ask before hiring someone as a budtender, grower, or trimmer for your cannabis business—but Oregon recently passed several laws banning certain questions. 
“Ban the box”—named for the box on employment applications asking about criminal history—ordinances became popular in the United States between 2007-2009. In general, ban the box ordinances prohibit employers from asking applicants about their criminal histories before an initial interview. Oregon enacted ban the box legislation in 2016. This means employers cannot ask on a job application whether an applicant has a past conviction, but they are allowed to ask about past convictions during the interview process and to consider that information when making a hiring decision. Certain employers, such as those required by federal, state or local law to consider an applicant’s criminal history, are exempt. If you are not required to conduct a background check, assume you fall under Oregon’s ban the box ordinance.
The city of Portland takes the state ban the box legislation several steps further. The Portland ordinance, effective as of July 1, 2016, applies to any employer with six or more employees and to positions that require work within Portland for more than half of the employee’s time. Portland employers cannot ask an applicant on an application about conviction history and cannot ask about convictions during interviews. A Portland employer may only gain information about an applicant’s criminal history after making a Conditional Offer of Employment (COE). The Portland employer must offer the position to the applicant conditioned solely on the results of an inquiry into the person’s arrest or conviction history. If the inquiry reveals a criminal history, the Portland employer can only rescind the job offer after an “individualized assessment” is done to determine if the prior conviction is “job related to the position in question and consistent with business necessity.” This requires consideration of the nature and gravity of the criminal offense, the time elapsed since the offense took place, and the nature of the employment held or sought. Examples include rescinding a job offer made to an applicant for an auto-dealership who has a prior conviction for auto theft or an applicant who will be in charge of handling money and has a prior conviction for money laundering.
What happens if you decide to rescind the offer after learning about a past conviction? The Portland employer must notify the applicant in writing of its decision and identify the relevant criminal conviction on which the decision is based. The applicant then has the opportunity to file a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). If BOLI determines the employer violated the Portland ordinance, it can assess up to a $1,000 fine. The Portland ordinance also allows the city to bring an action against employers that have demonstrated a pattern and practice of violating the ordinance. In such cases, BOLI may assess a penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation.
The ban the box legislation is especially important in the cannabis field. Cannabis was legalized relatively recently and many applicants for positions with cannabis businesses have convictions for past possession, sales, or distribution of marijuana. If you ask about past convictions on the job application or in any way prior to the initial interview you are in violation of the Oregon ordinance. Be careful when requesting background information from applicants—even asking about unexplained employment gaps may be considered requests for conviction history. If you requested conviction information before the initial interview you are in violation of the Oregon ordinance even if the applicant was not offered an initial interview for another reason. If you are a Portland employer, you may only ask about conviction history after a COE is made. Remember—you can only rescind the job offer after an individualized assessment has been completed.
source https://www.cannalawblog.com/hiring-for-an-oregon-cannabis-business-what-not-to-ask/
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