City Council Committee Reveals Employment Risks For Medical Marijuana Users
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania has made medical marijuana legal, but it can't completely shield people who take it from consequences. A city council committee hearing last week highlighted potential problems for patients.
Pennsylvania law says a person can't lose their job because they're certified to use medical marijuana, but attorney George Voegele told the panel it also doesn't require an employer to accommodate marijuana use.
"Zero tolerance policies are still okay," Voegele said. "You can discipline or terminate an employee for failing a drug test and, of course, you can still discipline an employee who's under the influence."
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Veogele says that may change, if challenged in court, but some jobs, such as truck drivers, regulated by federal law, would still not be protected and the state sets aside a number of jobs users can't do.
"No one wants someone using medical marijuana driving their children's school bus," he said, "or up in a cherry picker working on power lines."
Councilwoman Cherelle Parker was distressed to learn of the employment risks.
"The notion that someone suffering from PTSD or cancer could lose their job because they are a medical marijuana patient was devastating," Parker said.
She hopes for a public awareness campaign for employers and workers.
