The use of medical marijuana is becoming more common across the United States. However, that doesn’t mean that its use is universally accepted. When it comes to your job, it’s important to know how your medical marijuana use is affected.

Your Rights are Protected

If you need to use medical marijuana, there you have certain rights when you are employed. Rights will vary across different states so it’s important to review the rights you have in your specific state. However, in most states, an employer cannot discriminate against a person because of past or current use of medical marijuana. This also means that they cannot refuse to hire you because of your medical marijuana use. Additionally, they cannot fire you or refuse to give you work. To have these rights, and others specific to your state, make sure you are properly registered as a qualifying patient or designated caregiver.

Be Careful About Restrictions

While you do have rights as a medical marijuana user, you still need to be aware of any restrictions that are in place. Certain professions have strict licensing requirements that may restrict your ability to use medical marijuana. Since marijuana is still illegal at a federal level, employers still have the right to have a zero-drug policy. This can include on-site and off-site use. However, some employers are beginning to relax their restrictions. In some cases, employers will tie marijuana use to performance. If it is clear that marijuana use is affecting an employee’s performance, then the employer will take action. Make sure you understand the restrictions you may need to follow at your place of employment.

Know How it Affects You

There are many reasons why employers would want to prevent marijuana use among employees. However, one of the most convincing reasons is safety. Marijuana is known to impair judgment and slow you down. Because of this, there is a correlation between marijuana use and workplace injuries. You need to make sure you carefully evaluate how medical marijuana use impacts you and how it may affect your job performance. For example, if you work in transportation, your driving ability could be impaired and it’s best you don’t use it on the job. There are a lot of complicated laws and policies surrounding medical marijuana use in the workplace, but your evaluation is important too.

The difficult thing about medical marijuana use is the laws and regulations vary by state. This means it’s very complicated when it comes to navigating the policies related to the use of medical marijuana as an employee. Make sure you take the time to understand how it relates to you.

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