Medical marijuana: Limits to consumption in unionized workplaces
A recent labour arbitration decision from Saskatchewan has suggested what the boundaries around workplace consumption of medical marijuana might be.
Arbitrator states worker’s use of medical cannabis results in “unacceptable increased safety risk”- grievance dismissed
Increased safety risk arising from cannabis impairment in the workplace can amount to undue hardship. This will likely continue to be the case until there are reliable technologies that can accurately and effectively measure impairment from cannabis.
Accommodation of medical marijuana
The right to accommodation, and the widespread acceptance of medical marijuana, does not mean that employees have a right to use marijuana at work. Safety considerations will be taken into account and although zero tolerance policies will not be automatically enforced, they will be enforced when appropriate.
