Category: Marijuana
Election Year Creates Complexity for Employers: Verrill Dana Hosts Full-Day Conference, 2017 Annual Employment Law Update
The 2016 elections – local and national – have given rise to a number of complicated developments in labor and employment law. To help employers understand these changes and how to address them, Verrill Dana will host a full-day Annual Employment Law Update on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at...
Marijuana is Legal in Massachusetts . . . Now What
On Tuesday, Massachusetts residents legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. How does this effect your relationship with your employees and what steps should you be taking in the near future? First, the statute includes an employment provision which provides that: "This chapter shall not require an employer to permit or...
Maine Passes Recreational Marijuana Statute—What Does This Mean for Employers
While still up for debate (as of the time of the writing of this blog), most news outlets and agencies in Maine are reporting that Question 1 on yesterday's ballot has passed—therefore providing for recreational use of marijuana in Maine. What does this mean for employers? That is the...
Dude, I Think He’s High…Can I Fire Him?
Oftentimes clients ask, "When we think an employee is high, can we fire him?" My answer is consistently the same, "That depends." It depends on a whole host of factors, what state do you live in, what industry do you work in, why do you think he's high, but...
Tractor Supply Co. Plowing New Terrain in Medical Marijuana Law
Last week, the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico issued a memorandum and order granting Tractor Supply Company's Motion to Dismiss in Garcia v. Tractor Supply Co . The Plaintiff, Rojerio Garcia, suffers from HIV/AIDS and was using medical marijuana under the Lynn and Erin...
Holi-daze: SHRM's Legal Marijuana Survey
Dear reader, the powers that be at Blog HQ have decreed that all posts between now and next Friday adhere to a holiday theme . So while you're celebrating with seasonally appropriate herbs , consider the results of the survey from the Society for Human Resource Management concerning employer...
Employer Successfully Parses the Haze in the Land of Enchantment
Recently, New Mexico employer Presbyterian Healthcare Services successfully defended a claim of disability discrimination after terminating a Physician's Assistant who tested positive for medical marijuana. The case, Smith v. Presbyterian Healthcare Services , involved a Physician Assistant, Donna Smith, who through a staffing agency, Advantage Locum, applied for and...
