This is how tough it is to hire these days: To fill jobs, some employers have stopped testing for marijuana.

Companies don’t like to talk about it. Several employers who reportedly no longer test for cannabis either wouldn’t respond or were unwilling to go public. Nursing homes and hospitals don't want patients and their families to know their caregivers may use cannabis after work. Accounting firms don't want to look bad in front of clients. Manufacturing facilities don't want to draw workers who think they can come to work high.

But with the Buffalo Niagara unemployment rate nearing 4 percent and the number of unemployed people near a 30-year low, it is an open secret that some companies – maybe even many – have stopped testing for marijuana.

Two employment agencies, Acara Solutions and StaffBuffalo, say they have recommended the elimination of cannabis testing to employers as a way to expand the pool of candidates without sacrificing quality. Drug testing is particularly a problem with passive candidates – employed people who aren't seeking a new job, but who companies hope to lure away.