With the legalization of marijuana fast approaching, many business owners in Airdrie have been wondering how it will affect their business as well as how to protect themselves and their employees against the possibility of impaired workers.

The Chamber of Commerce held an eight hour seminar on the changes legalization will bring. The seminar also explored how business owners can change the policies and procedures of the workplace to protect their companies.

Over thirty Airdrie employers attended the workshop to try and get a clear understanding of what legalization will mean for their day to day operations. Linda Bruce, President of the Chamber of Commerce, said the amount of involvement from those in attendance was astounding.

“I can tell you that there were two sets of question and answer periods, one after the morning session and one after the afternoon session and the one in the morning went on for well over an hour. This was a very engaged group of attendees. I would have to say if there was a third part of this workshop we would get lots of attendance again. It was a very enthusiastic group.”

In the Federal Government's 106 page framework for the legislation and regulation of cannabis in Canada, only one-page addressed marijuana in the workplace. This lack of clear regulation may leave many owners wondering what rules they can and cannot implement in their workplace.

According to Jo Anne Yau, lawyer at DD West LLP, there are a variety of things owners can do to protect their business and any potential legal issues it may face following the implementation of the new legislation.

“I think the first thing Airdrie businesses should do is pull up their current workplace policies and review it with human resources and their legal department. Consider getting a medical consultant in place too and really define what it is that the job descriptions are for each job in their organization and once they define what positions may be affected by the possibility of impairment, then those are the ones they need to look at and draft specific policies to deal with any possibility of impairment regardless of whether it's from recreational or medicinal use of marijuana.“

Yau recommended that businesses look at the legalization of marijuana as if it was alcohol. There is a zero tolerance for being under the influence at work, but recreational use after work hours is the employee's own personal business.

Yau said businesses should also have a disclosure agreement in place for employees that use medicinal marijuana, stating that the employee has advised their boss of prescription drug use. This could help protect employers in the case of a loss of time incident. If an employee is a medical marijuana user,  employers should request to see a prescription and document it. Companies should also look at their job description and make sure workers are able to safely complete the requirements of their job. Yau said employers should also get at the opinion of a professional, such as a doctor, on the potential change in the job's tasks and responsibilities.

 Business owners that missed the workshop still have resources available to them. Employers can contact Jo Anne Yau for more information or turn to the Chamber of Commerce.

“If they do have questions we are lucky to have DD West in town," said Bruce. "They really have comprehensive understanding of how to create the appropriate policies for your workplace. I know they would work with local businesses to ensure they have the right policy in place.”  

 

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