Marijuana meets the workplace
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 John P. Coniglio - PhD, CSP, CHMM, RPIH, CSC
So what do you think of legalization of “weed”! Why not, alcohol is legal. But how do we equate usage with impairment? Will we derive some level of allowable dose similar to alcohol for defining legal impairment? And, if we do, will the “ZERO” tolerance in place now at many workplaces (as part of a Drug & Alcohol Policy), hold up to future liberalized interpretation when a dismissal occurs after a failed drug test because Cannabis (THC) was detected?
Marijuana has a greater half life than alcohol since is is stored in the fat cells. Simply put, it is detectable for a far greater period after use especially in chronic users. Will some level of the chemical component detected be acceptable as we go forward and begin to quantify the impairment levels at varying doses?
This is a changing Frontier. Liberalization of drug use will open doors to acceptability at some level which will or could impact the workplace. Will “ZERO” tolerance hold up? What do you think?
As someone stated to me recently, we dumb them down in school, get em’ high and wonder why we are falling behind!
Have some thoughts on this developing area, share them.