Robert Celt
New Member
Anticipated changes in the legal status of marijuana in Canada, and growing use of medical marijuana, are raising questions about the implications for the industrial workplace.
"As the prevalence and the social acceptance of marijuana goes up, the acceptance of medical marijuana will probably go up with it," says Scott Murray, vice-president of health services for Calian Ltd., which runs an occupational health clinic in the oilsands hotbed of Fort Mckay, Alta.
To explore how increased medical marijuana use could impact organizational policies, Calian recently hosted a seminar in Calgary for about 100 employers concerned about their legal responsibilities.
Under the Occupational Health & Safety Act, employers must ensure that nothing in the work environment — including other workers — threatens the well-being of employees.
At the same time, under Alberta's human rights legislation, employers have a duty to accommodate individual workers' needs, for example, to use medical marijuana. Murray says a significant proportion of Canadian workers who use medical marijuana and hold safety-sensitive positions are in Alberta.
Accommodating workers by shifting them into other jobs could exacerbate any shortage of qualified workers.
The crux of the problem is that there is not yet a test for marijuana consumption that reliability indicates impairment the way a breath test for alcohol does. An oral swab, urine test or hair analysis shows only that marijuana has been consumed.
"That complicates the duty to accommodate more than something like painkillers, where you can say as long as you haven't taken this painkiller in the last eight hours, we know that it'll be out of your system and you're good," Murray says.
There are about 500 chemical compounds in the marijuana plant, but researchers are not yet entirely certain which are medically useful. The two cannabinoids considered most beneficial are THC and CBD.
University of Mississippi researchers are working on developing standard potencies in plant strains and a means of delivery that ensures absorption at a predictable dosage while reducing the psychoactive effects.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Canada: Rising Use Of Medical Marijuana Complicates Energy Workforce Issues
Author: Melanie Collison
Contact: OilWeek
Photo Credit: None found
Website: OilWeek
"As the prevalence and the social acceptance of marijuana goes up, the acceptance of medical marijuana will probably go up with it," says Scott Murray, vice-president of health services for Calian Ltd., which runs an occupational health clinic in the oilsands hotbed of Fort Mckay, Alta.
To explore how increased medical marijuana use could impact organizational policies, Calian recently hosted a seminar in Calgary for about 100 employers concerned about their legal responsibilities.
Under the Occupational Health & Safety Act, employers must ensure that nothing in the work environment — including other workers — threatens the well-being of employees.
At the same time, under Alberta's human rights legislation, employers have a duty to accommodate individual workers' needs, for example, to use medical marijuana. Murray says a significant proportion of Canadian workers who use medical marijuana and hold safety-sensitive positions are in Alberta.
Accommodating workers by shifting them into other jobs could exacerbate any shortage of qualified workers.
The crux of the problem is that there is not yet a test for marijuana consumption that reliability indicates impairment the way a breath test for alcohol does. An oral swab, urine test or hair analysis shows only that marijuana has been consumed.
"That complicates the duty to accommodate more than something like painkillers, where you can say as long as you haven't taken this painkiller in the last eight hours, we know that it'll be out of your system and you're good," Murray says.
There are about 500 chemical compounds in the marijuana plant, but researchers are not yet entirely certain which are medically useful. The two cannabinoids considered most beneficial are THC and CBD.
University of Mississippi researchers are working on developing standard potencies in plant strains and a means of delivery that ensures absorption at a predictable dosage while reducing the psychoactive effects.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Canada: Rising Use Of Medical Marijuana Complicates Energy Workforce Issues
Author: Melanie Collison
Contact: OilWeek
Photo Credit: None found
Website: OilWeek
