Our View

Our View

Marijuana legislation o_ in the weeds

We’re sure there are many Arkansas business owners who are anxious to know the legal parameters in dealing with employees soon to be “toking up” on the job.

Since voters approved the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes lawmakers have been scrambling to pass numerous pieces of legislation dealing with everything from cultivation, distribution, enforcement to workplace rules and boundaries.

Well, if business owners, managers and supervisors don’t already know by now, there is a bill Gov. Asa Hutchinson has before him that allows employers the discretion to reassign, suspend or even fire employees in safety-sensitive positions if those workers use medical marijuana.

Let’s make it clear that despite the fact that the majority of Arkansas voters approved “pot” smoking for so-called medical purposes, so far, researchers haven’t conducted enough large-scale clinical trials that show that the benefits of the marijuana plant outweigh its risks in patients its meant to treat.

It is also of the belief of many non-pot smokers there there needs to be some type of regulations in place that take into account their concerns, such as smoking in public places, smoking around children and smoking in the workplace where other employees will be exposed to the marijuana smoke.

What are the rights of the non-marijuana smokers in a public environment?

While on the subject, Senate lawmakers unanimously voted to approve legisltion that ensures the state is reimbursed for enforcement and regulation before other entities receive money from this “pot” program.

Oh, by the way, there were three senators who did not go along with the bill that allow employers the discretion to deal with employees who are granted permission to smoke marijuana for their medical ailment.

While we certainly understand that there are several other states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and that this is a trend that is becoming more popular, there are those individuals among us who believe this marijuana for medical purposes is opening the door to other related and controversial marijuana issues.

As we’re all aware, there are states that now allow marijuana for “recreational” use, and we suspect that in the years to come there will be those proponents of such use pushing for a constitutional amendment, which if promoted right may very well have a good chance of passage.

Let’s remember, there is a considerable amount of out-of-state influence and investors with full intention of making lots of money. There is a lot to be gained by those in the cultivation part of this as well as for those interested in the distribution part.

With that being said, it will also be very important for our lawmakers to insure the taxpayers they serve that this “new” pot business isn’t going to be a financial burden on state coffers.