TUPELO — Tupelo employees are now prohibited from the use of medical cannabis after close to two months of deliberations, multiple meetings and hearings.
The Tupelo City Council voted unanimously this week to approve multiple changes to the employee handbook’s policy on a drug-free workplace, which prohibits the use of drugs or alcohol on the job, including a “zero-tolerance” policy on the use of medical cannabis as well as establishing random drug testing.
“(We’ve) received both positive and negative feedback from the council and members of the administration, also several city employees as well,” Assistant City Attorney Stephen Reed said. “We’ve taken every comment that has been made, and they’ve all been weighed, and they’ve all been considered, but we ask that you approve this policy because it puts us in the best position possible moving forward.”
Employees found to have THC, the active chemical in cannabis that causes psychoactive effects, can go to counseling or possibly face termination regardless of whether or not they have a prescription.
Multiple council members previously pushed back on the policy change in previous meetings, leading to the council tabling the matter.
Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston, along with Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis, Ward 5 Councilman Buddy Palmer and Ward 7 Councilwoman Rosie Jones, who is a registered nurse, all said they believe in the need for medical cannabis for those that can benefit, but voted in favor out of fear of losing federal grants.
“After I’ve considered this… I want to vote for the policy,” Gaston said. “While I recognize the benefits of prescribing medical grade marijuana for certain medical conditions, It is really important that we don’t jeopardize our ability as a city to obtain future federal grants.”
While medical cannabis was legalized in the state last year as well as in multiple other states nationally, it is still a Schedule I drug at a federal level. The classification places cannabis among LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine and heroin. The federal definition of Schedule I drugs states they have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Because of the disparity in legality, the city’s legal team believes it is possible the city could lose federal grants if it allows employees to use medical cannabis.
One of the other wrinkles in the situation is insurance liability and premiums. Reed previously noted that in the event of an accident, the city could be found liable if an employee had cannabis in their system at the time of an incident, opening the city to litigation. The drug-free policy and random drug testing are also linked to a 5% reduction in insurance premiums.
Medical cannabis requires a prescription for use, but there are other forms of the drug that are legal and unregulated for anyone over the age of 21. CBD, hemp products containing less than 0.3% THC and Delta-8 THC, a hemp-derived cannabinoid, can all be purchased at vape shops, smoke shops and gas stations. These forms of cannabinoids are legal but will trigger positive drug test results.
