Nicotine - All Uses

2020: U-Haul announces nicotine-free hiring policy in 21 states

The Phoenix, Arizona-based moving and storage company announced Monday that it will soon be "the first major company in its field to decline job applicants who are nicotine users." This policy will be implemented in the 21 states that allow denying jobs based on the use of nicotine.
U-Haul's Press Release

The city of Dayton’s decision to stop hiring people who use tobacco or nicotine has sparked a debate about if and to what degree employers should be able to restrict employees’ off-the-clock conduct.

Smokers’ rights groups and civil liberties advocates say the trend toward not hiring smokers in Ohio is discriminatory and could lead to bans against hiring others at risk of missing work.
“While I applaud the idea of a drug-free workplace, a ban on tobacco redefines the concept,” Dyer said.

What if employers could use personal (legal) choices related to our wellness to make decisions regarding whether to hire us? Recently, employers around the country attempted to do just that.
Nicotine
Body mass index (“BMI”)—a medical heuristic—uses a person’s height and weight to approximate their amount of body fat.
Legal lifestyle choices
Off duty alcohol
Cholesterol
Blood Pressure
Insurance premiums

Private employers are using the power of the paycheck to tell their employees what they can and cannot do in the privacy of their own homes.
Virtually every lifestyle choice we make has some health-related consequence. Where do we draw the line as to what an employer can regulate? Should an employer be able to forbid an employee from going skiing? or riding a bicycle? or sunbathing on a Saturday afternoon? All of these activities entail a health risk.