Risk & Business Magazine Miller Insurance Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 7

THE CANNABIS ACT
“Discussing marijuana with the
management of your company and
with employees is not restricted, so why
not take the time to do it?”
marijuana in an unhealthy way which
may affect work.
Discussing marijuana with the
management of your company and with
employees is not restricted, so why not
take the time to do it? Whether being used
recreationally or medically, cannabis is
likely to be used by one or more of your
employees. With that in mind, making your
expectations clear regarding cannabis use
is something that should be done, if only
to make everyone aware of the policies that
you have in place. The social stigma may
be gone, but the potential for workplace
accidents or impairments is here to stay, so
make sure you are doing what you can to
mitigate those risks.
So what steps can an employer take to help
handle the coming changes? Well, here are
a few to start out with:
• Discuss with your staff the expectations
that you have moving forward with
regard to marijuana. With recreational
usage legalised, it would be easy for
employees to falsely assume that they
are allowed to smoke at work or to begin
work while under the influence. Both of
these assumptions are wrong. During
onboarding, training, and regular staff
meetings, ensure that you are reminding
your employees that recreational use
during working hours is prohibited.
• Ensure your current drug policies
are updated. Your guidelines need to
communicate new rules post-Cannabis
Act and should include information about
testing procedures and the times when
testing can take place. Though usage in
general is no longer going to be illegal,
you still have the right as an employer
to restrict possession and use in the
workplace. Part of this policy needs to
define the differences between recreational
and medical use.
• Marijuana can still be used for the
treatment of illnesses or medical
conditions. Thus, it is important to
accommodate the health needs of your
employees in your policies and procedures
as well. How do you handle prescription
marijuana use?
• Understanding the impact that
marijuana can have on the workplace
is also important, not only with regard
to morale but also with regard to
performance and motivation in general.
Having this understanding will lend itself
to the creation of a truly functional and
effective drug policy.
• Keep in mind that if you put a policy
in place, it also means that you have to
enforce it. So if someone is breaking your
policies, you will have to discipline them
for that. Disciplining of employees can
create awkward and tough situations, but
it must be done.
That can be a lot to take in, but the
key idea in all of this is to have a policy
and procedures in place so that you
won’t be caught off guard by any issues
relating to marijuana. Establishing or
updating your drug policy is the way to
do that. Communicating those changes
to employees in a clear way is the next
logical step.
What might you need to include in
your policy? The list is almost endless:
definitions of drugs, definitions of
workplaces, whether the language you
use in the policy with regard to alcohol
can be extended to marijuana, whether
recreational use can occur during
breaks or company functions, how long
a sober period before work may be, and
whether marijuana addiction or medical
usage needs to be disclosed.
Do you have a marijuana policy in
effect at your workplace? How does
the Cannabis Act change that? What
about your local provincial laws? For
an overview of your policy and to help
learn what action steps you could take,
call us at 1-800-265-3000.
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