Despite being the first state in the nation to approve adult-use marijuana possession and sales, Coloradoans – including registered patients – still lack any workplace protections. The legislation was filed in Colorado (House Bill 1152) earlier this year to change that. As initially introduced, the measure sought to limit employers’ ability to sanction employees for their off-the-job cannabis use and also sought to allow certain medical patients to be accommodated while on the job. The enactment of this latter provision would have been a first for any state in the nation. However, within weeks of filing the bill, state Rep. Edie Hooton has publicly said that she intends to scrap it. Instead, now she says that she will propose that state officials convene a coalition of employers, medical cannabis users, and prescribers to study the workplace testing issue. Updated text for this legislation is still pending. “I knew it was going to change,” Hooton said. “I don’t want to be in opposition with organized labor or employers, like the Chamber of Commerce or organized business interests.” Several employer groups had opposed Hooton’s initial bill, including the state Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Mining Association.
NORML, 03/02/2022 19:00:00