Bimonthly News Update

MUST READ: New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission Issues Workplace Guidance on Reasonable Suspicion Determinations

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission on September 9, 2022 issued long-awaited guidance for employers on how to respond when employees are suspected of marijuana impairment.

• State panel gives N.J. employers option to use experts to determine if workers are high 

Long-awaited guidelines for employers on determining if workers are high on the job were issued Friday by the state agency regulating the new cannabis industry.

• Legal weed in NJ: High-potency THC products are a growing public health concern

The rapidly growing popularity of THC concentrates commonly found in products like vape pens and edibles, the preferred route of consumption for young users, has introduced high-potency products into the mainstream, with dispensaries attributing an exceedingly large percentage of their sales to oils and cannabis-infused food products.

• There is such an urgent, dire need for drug prevention in NJ

There is a dark cloud remaining ever-present over the skies of New Jersey derived from a storm of a years-long drug epidemic wreaking havoc on countless lives in our communities, claiming many of them.

• Statistics Show Alcohol Still the #1 Substance of Abuse in the Workplace

Despite the legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana having a direct impact on drug testing in the workplace, government statistics show there are still many more alcohol users and abusers in the U.S. than marijuana users. 

• New Survey Shows Remote Work Has Fueled Increased Drug Use

A new survey finds 1 in 5 American workers believes substance use has impacted their work performance. 

• As Fentanyl Deaths Soar, Restaurants Are Ground Zero

Throughout the country, restaurants and bars are such common places for overdose deaths among customers that advocates are training bartenders and servers to administer Narcan, a medication used to treat opioid overdoses. 

• Unimpaired, Unemployed – Workers in Pennsylvania Cannot Be Fired for Having a Doctor’s Approval for Medical Marijuana – But Once They Actually Use it, It’s a Whole Different Story

Vague legal safeguards for medical marijuana users in Pennsylvania are forcing patients to choose between their job and a drug they say has changed their life, and leaving skittish employers vulnerable to lawsuits, according to a three-month Spotlight PA investigation. 

• Judge Rebukes Arizona Walmart for Firing Employee with Medical Marijuana Card

An Arizona Walmart location terminated an employee in 2016 who held a valid medical-marijuana card after a drug test came back positive. But now a federal judge has ruled that because Walmart could not prove the employee was impaired at work, the company violated the nondiscrimination provision in the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act.

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