Bimonthly News Update

We encourage you to share this bimonthly news update with your colleagues and business associates to stay informed on the issues regarding establishing and maintaining a drug-free workplace. A sign-up link can be found at the bottom of this issue for anyone interested in becoming a new member of Drugs Don’t Work in NJ and to directly receive these free updates.

PDFNJ will be hosting a FREE webinar this Thursday, July 23, at 11am - "Substance Use Disorder Recovery During COVID-19: Perspectives from the Front Lines". This webinar is open to any NJ business, so we strongly encourage you to share this information with business associates. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Lillis, Drug-Free Workplace Coordinator, at bill@drugfreenj.org or 862-253-6808.

• Murphy says legalizing weed is ‘incredibly smart’ to offset budget woes triggered by coronavirus

Gov. Phil Murphy said legalized marijuana sales could boost New Jersey’s struggling economy, which needs new revenue sources to weather damage from the coronavirus outbreak                                                       

• New tax rate on sales of medical marijuana in NJ as of July 1

The sales tax on medical marijuana will drop to 4% from its current 6.625% on July 1, part of a phased elimination of the levy that was embodied in the 2019 redo of the state’s medical cannabis system called the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act.                                 

• Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook

A new textbook, Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook (Wolters Kluwer, September 2020), provides an objective look at the history and science of the plant and strips away the cultural and political baggage that often clouds any meaningful examination of cannabis's therapeutic value.

• How the US states have learned from each other to create more comprehensive medical cannabis policies

A. Lee Hannah and Daniel J. Mallinson take a close look at how the US states have learned from each other on how to regulate cannabis in the face of a continuing federal ban. They write that the states have moved on from their initially vague laws, enacting measures which exert much closer control over the production and distribution of cannabis

• Court of Appeal Critical of Employer’s Undue Hardship Assessment of Medical Cannabis Impairment in a Safety-Sensitive Workplace

As we have previously reported, employers overseeing safety-sensitive workplaces in this environment of uncertainty benefitted from authorities clarifying the limits of accommodation for employees who use medical cannabis (see our past blog post: Court Affirms Important Limitations for Accommodating Use of Medical Cannabis in a Safety-Sensitive Workplace).                                                                                                                                             

• Marijuana at work: How to navigate the marijuana laws

Marijuana use in the United States is more acceptable now than ever before.   

• Do Marijuana Legalization Efforts Give a False Sense of Security?

Operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a major safety issue, especially for commercial truckers. It is important for carriers to pinpoint the telltale signs of marijuana use and enforce anti-drug-use policies in the workplace.

• Table of Experts: Mental Health in the Workplace

Employers must stay attuned to the Mental Health Needs of Their Employees

• Drug Free Workplace PA launches new tool for finding employment

Drug Free Workplace PA launched a new program called Recovery Friendly Workplace PA. It is the first of its kind program in Pennsylvania.

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