Pennsylvania Legalizes Medical Marijuana: Now What?
Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (the “Act”) takes effect on May 17, 2016. Naturally, our Members have been asking a lot of questions about how this will impact their existing Drug-Free Workplace policies. Companies also want to know how, and to what extent, they will be required to change other policies and practices in order to accommodate employees’ use of medical marijuana (both in the workplace, and off-duty). For now, companies probably do not need to change or do anything, other than plan ahead – the Pennsylvania Department of Health is required to draft and promulgate temporary regulations implementing the Act within six months; but the final regulations are not required to be finalized for 18 months. You should also expect many (probably very many) changes to these regulations over the course of the next year and a half.
We will certainly keep you apprised of these regulations as they trickle out from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, including the many expected revisions thereafter. For now, we want to help you understand the Act so you know how to respond to employees’ questions, and can start planning ahead for changes to policies and practices which may be necessary in the near future. Accordingly, please join us on May 18 at 11:00 AM for a complimentary 30-minute webinar on this topic. While we will focus primarily on the new law, we will also address issues pertaining to Drug-Free Workplace policies, more generally, to help ensure you have a compliant and sound policy as your foundation.
Michael W. Kulakowski, Esquire
Employment Counsel and Director, Compliance Services
MidAtlantic Employers’ Association
*This MEA Member Alert is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.