Voters in several states will decide whether marijuana or, in one case, psychedelic substances should be legal in the upcoming November 5, 2024 general election. Employers should keep their eyes on these ballot measures and...more
10/28/2024
/ Ballot Measures ,
Cannabis Products ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
General Elections ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On September 24, 2024, the Pittsburgh City Council passed a new ordinance prohibiting discrimination against an individual’s status as a medical marijuana patient. Mayor Ed Gainey signed the ordinance the same day, making it...more
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently signed Senate Bill 1201, making Connecticut the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years or older. The new law not only requires expungement of certain...more
After contentious negotiations, Governor Phil Murphy has signed the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (the Act) implementing the constitutional amendment embracing...more
On the heels of New Jersey voters ratifying an amendment to the state’s constitution to permit the recreational use of marijuana, the New Jersey Legislature on December 17, 2020 passed the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory,...more
12/22/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Regulations ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government
On April 7, 2020, the D.C. Council unanimously passed its second emergency COVID-19 relief bill, the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (Emergency Act), addressing a variety of programs and...more
As we reported over the summer, on June 25, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (the “Act”) into law. This Act legalizes the use, possession, and even cultivation of marijuana by...more
11/25/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Amended Legislation ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
New Jersey has expanded its medical marijuana program and—for the first time since the state enacted the law—adopted formal protections for employees and job applicants who use what is now called “medical cannabis.” ...more
On June 4, 2019, the Illinois legislature passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (the “Act”) (HB 1438). The Act, notwithstanding federal law, declares marijuana a “lawful product” for state law purposes, and would make...more
6/20/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Pending Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On April 9, 2019, the New York City Council passed a first-of-its-kind bill that prohibits pre-employment drug testing for the presence of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinols. ...more
4/11/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government
New Jersey’s legislature is scheduled to vote Monday, March 25, 2019 on a bill designed to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21, create a system by which marijuana and marijuana products...more
3/22/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Prior Conviction ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government
In an unpublished opinion, a state appellate court held the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) did not provide a cause of action for an applicant whose conditional job offer from the City of Lansing was rescinded after he...more
2/25/2019
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Screening Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
As has become common in recent years (and despite marijuana’s continued illegality under federal law), citizens in several states voted on marijuana-related measures this election cycle. ...more
On February 1, 2018, Maine will become the first jurisdiction in the nation to protect workers from adverse employment action based on their use of marijuana and marijuana products, provided the use occurs away from the...more
1/30/2018
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Policies ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Popular ,
State and Local Government