{"id":58762,"date":"2022-11-30T05:58:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T13:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/30\/louisiana-task-force-nears-deadline-for-medical-marijuana-patient-workplace-protection-recommendations\/"},"modified":"2022-11-30T17:46:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T01:46:07","slug":"louisiana-task-force-nears-deadline-for-medical-marijuana-patient-workplace-protection-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/30\/louisiana-task-force-nears-deadline-for-medical-marijuana-patient-workplace-protection-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana Task Force Nears Deadline For Medical Marijuana Patient Workplace Protection Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure as a task force we\u2019re doing what\u2019s in the best interest of the patients in this state.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Victor Skinner, The Center Square<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Louisiana Legislature\u2019s Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force<\/a> discussed issues with unemployment compensation, impairment, and testing on Tuesday as they prepare to craft recommendations for lawmakers later this month.<\/p>\n

Task force members are now working on an accelerated timeline to present recommendations<\/a> to the Department of Health by December 21, to ensure lawmakers have sufficient time to draft legislation ahead of the 2023 session in April.<\/p>\n

At Tuesday\u2019s meeting, members contemplated how to design protections for employees and employers without a reliable, cost effective way to test for marijuana impairment.<\/p>\n

Kevin Caldwell, task force member representing the Marijuana Policy Project, noted that while current testing technology for marijuana impairment is not widely accepted and \u201cvery expensive,\u201d 37 other states with medical marijuana programs have nonetheless found ways to protect employees who use the drug.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point I think we\u2026see that these other states have put these employment protections in place without the clear scientific data as to what impairment is,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at the same time\u2026there are drug recognition experts in law enforcement that can tell when someone is impaired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caldwell, who chaired a subcommittee that explored testing technologies, said concerns center on whether tests would be \u201cfiscally possible\u201d for small companies, the timeline for receiving results, and whether courts would recognize the technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not the first time these technologies have moved forward, but in the end none of them have ended up being legally accepted as a judge of impairment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure as a task force we\u2019re doing what\u2019s in the best interest of the patients in this state,\u201d said Janana Snowden, task force member and director of the Southern Institute for Medical Plants.<\/p>\n

Task force member Troy Prevot, a physician assistant involved in employment drug testing, pointed out that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute of Drug Abuse only recognizes tests for urine, hair and oral fluids.<\/p>\n

He also noted that \u201cthe difference between the technology for testing and the technology of measuring impairment can be night and day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToxicology can\u2019t tell you\u2026this level means you\u2019re impaired,\u201d Prevot said. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others on the task force raised questions about how any recommendations might comport with the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act and similar state laws that require certified tests for workplace accidents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to conform [to those laws] or modify the law in some fashion,\u201d said Mark Falcon, attorney and task member. \u201cI don\u2019t think we want to endorse someone losing their job because of a dip-stick type\u2026it needs to be something that scientifically proven to be accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Robins-Brown, task force member with Louisiana Progress, suggested a recommendation to treat medical marijuana the same as prescribed drugs, which do not result in a positive result once a prescription is confirmed.<\/p>\n

Snowden pointed out other states have eliminated testing for THC, the active component in marijuana, entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look across other states you\u2019ll see that THC has been removed from those screenings, and that may be something we want to consider, as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The hearing<\/a> also featured testimony from several marijuana advocates<\/a>, including multiple former military personnel and firefighters who want to be included in employment protections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we should be able to make that choice [to use medical marijuana] without repercussions,\u201d said Alex Tony, a former U.S. Army medic turned professional firefighter. \u201cWe should not be discriminated against because of our profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Task force members are now compiling a list of potential recommendations for lawmakers, which they plan to finalize by December 21. Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, who authored the resolution that created the task force, said the timeline will provide the best odds of lawmakers taking up the suggestions, as they\u2019re each limited to five bills during the 2023 session.<\/p>\n

This story was first published by The Center Square.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

D.C. Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Bill With License Cap Elimination, Patient Self-Certification And Tax Relief<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Louisiana Task Force Nears Deadline For Medical Marijuana Patient Workplace Protection Recommendations<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Louisiana Task Force Nears Deadline For Medical Marijuana Patient Workplace Protection Recommendations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe want to make sure as a task force we\u2019re doing what\u2019s in the best interest of the patients in this state.\u201d By Victor Skinner, The Center Square The Louisiana Legislature\u2019s Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force discussed issues with unemployment compensation, impairment, and testing on Tuesday as they prepareContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58763,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58762\/revisions\/58763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}