Source: https://crs-adr.com/articles/current-state-of-marijuana-and-employment-issues-a-moving-target/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 18:03:13+00:00

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February 5, 2016 /in Articles, Drug Testing, Marijuana /by Cathy Klein, RN, Esq.
Marijuana law in Colorado and throughout the country is an ever changing, seemingly moving target and needs to be checked every day and counsel must keep abreast of the rapid developments. An underlying reason stems from the fact marijuana remains illegal under federal and most state laws, and there are no reliable tests to determine cur- rent impairment. The rapidly emerging marijuana market embraces nearly every aspect of the law, particularly employment law.
The principle marijuana issues in employment arise from testing, termination and discipline, Americans with Disabilities Act, workers compensation and unemployment benefits.
Workplace drug policies are essential to establish clarity of expectations for both the employee and employer.
Appropriate employer policies should include alcohol and drug rules, focus on safety in the workplace, account for prohibited use under federal law, specify types of tests, whether notice is provided prior to testing, consequences of a violation of the policy, confidentiality, uniformity of enforcement and non-discriminatory testing. Some examples of situations commonly subject to testing are pre- employment, random, reasonable suspicion, return to duty, post-accident and/or follow-up. If there is a new policy, or change in existing policy, the employer should provide at least thirty days’ notice and copies, with the employees’ acknowledgment of receipt of the policy. Furthermore, employers should notify job applicants of the policy and any testing, preferably in writing.
The use of marijuana in the employment context usually occurs in three ways: on the clock use, off-the-clock use but under the influence at work and off-the-clock use and tests positive at work, but not under the influence. This last use is currently a major issue in Colorado employment law. The first two situations are clearly problematic for employees.
Tests for other drugs that are water-soluble and, thus, quickly eliminated from the body, clear the body’s system rapidly, often times within a few hours after ingestion. The drugs are not detected after clearing the body. However, the fat-soluble tetrahydrocannaboids (THC) component in mari- juana that causes a euphoria, remains in the system much longer. Thus, testing for THC will likely produce a positive drug test even though the person has not recently experienced marijuana exposure and is not currently impaired. There are different types of marijuana drug tests. Hydroxy THC (H-THC) is an active metabolite that may show up initially and may indicate that a person has partaken in marijuana over the past few hours. On the other hand, Carboxy-THC (C-THC) can remain in the system for thirty days or more. It is an inactive metabolite and does not cause intoxication. It may test positive over a period of time. However, there is still no reliable test for current impairment.
Another means of testing for marijuana is via the hair. Blood nourishes the hair as it grows. If marijuana is in the blood, it will reach the hair and embed in the hair shaft. It takes about a week after drug use for the drug affected hair to grow above the scalp. Accuracy requires at least 100-120 strands of hair, cut as closely to the scalp as possible and must be at least a half-inch long. This provides a proximate thirty-day history since hair grows about a half-inch per month. One and a half inches of hair gives a ninety-day drug history.
Another area of law certain to change as a result of marijuana legalization is testing.
Presently, there are a few federal agency traffic position statements that may prove to be helpful in representing an employee with a positive drug test for marijuana.
“Current knowledge about the effects of drugs other than alcohol on driving performance is insufficient to make judgments about connections between drug use, driving performance, and crash risk.” 6 “Caution should be exercised in assuming that drug presence implies driver impairment. Drug tests do not necessarily indicate current impairment.
In addition, the services of an expert may be useful to disprove impairment. The expert may be a physician, prefer- ably a toxicologist, or another qualified professional with the education, back- ground and experience to serve as an expert on the issue. There are several issues for the expert to consider. Marijuana impairment is not the same as alcohol, thus, detection is not the same and cannot be correlated. Marijuana has many psychoactive components – most notably is THC – and numerous non-psychoactive components that do not cause intoxication. THC is immediately taken up by fat cells and is released slowly over time which is generally not a contributor to intoxication, but is a reason why it can be detected so long after consumption.
There is difficulty in accurately establishing an absolute correlation between some measured value and intoxication. Behavioral tests may or may not have been performed to compliment the drug test. Are the behavioral tests reliable or subjective? Some states have instituted legal limits of THC, which is not based on intoxication or impairment, but a zero tolerance drug policy.
Can a Colorado Employee be Terminated for Using Medical Marijuana in Compliance with Colo. Const. Art XVIII, §14 Off Premises and Off Hours?
Mr. Coats pled the single Lawful Activity Statute claim which is an employment discrimination provision of Colorado Civil Rights Act. Mr.
Judge Webb wrote a compelling dissent in Coats arguing that “lawful activity” under the Lawful Activity Statute should be measured by state law, and the use of medical marijuana is permitted under the Colorado Constitution, thus, making it a lawful activity under Colorado law. Judge Webb argued that Colorado criminal law is not coterminous with federal criminal law. The Lawful Activity Statute does not define “lawful activity,” thus, making the statute ambiguous because the phrase could incorporate state law, federal law or both. Judge Webb also argued that the court’s reliance on the dictionary definition of “lawful” was misguided, cautioning that dictionary definitions must be used as sources of statutory meaning only with great caution. For these reasons, Judge Webb looked at “the spirit of the statute and not simply the letter of the law.” In the case of the Lawful Activities Statute, the legislative discussion of off-duty conduct reflected a desire to protect employees’ autonomy in their off-the-job activities, such as smoking and eating patterns that led to obesity, as opposed to empowering employers to discharge employees. Judge Webb furthermore agreed with the dissenting opinion in Beinor v.
The [Medical Marijuana Act] MMA states: “The patient’s medical use of marijuana, within the following limits, is lawful.” Colo. Const. art. XVII, §14(4)(a).
The so-called Blue Book refers MMA in terms of “legally possesses” and “legalize the medical use of.” Colorado Legislative Council, Research Pub. No.
475-0, An Analysis of 2000 Ballot Proposals.
Note: Shortly before publication, the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed lower courts’ rulings that businesses can fire employees for the off-duty use of medical marijuana. We will publish an article about the ruling in the next issue.
To establish a prima facie claim of discrimination under the ADA, a dis- charged employee must prove 1) that he has a disability, 2) that he was qualified for the job from which he was discharged, and 3) that his discharge was the result of his disability.21 In cases involving medical marijuana use, the question arises whether or not an employee has a disability under the ADA.
Since marijuana use is still considered illegal by the federal government, it seems clear that marijuana users, even those registered through a state’s medical marijuana program may be excluded from ADA protection under 42 U.S.C.
12114(a). This issue has not yet been decided by the courts and may ultimately be decided based on a choice of competing interpretations of the ADA.
Under a “competing federal interests” theory, the federal government’s current position to keep marijuana illegal would compete with the ADA’s right to provide relief for a person “handicapped” by diseases such as cancer and glaucoma that are two conditions for which medical marijuana is often recommended. While marijuana proponents could point to federal acceptance of known pain relievers such as morphine, the federal government would likely counter by asserting that these “handicapped” individuals could properly be treated with Marinol, which is a legal synthetic marijuana. Given these compelling arguments on both sides, it seems likely that any court decision will be appealed and the United States Supreme Court may ultimately be asked to decide whether medical marijuana use is permitted under the ADA.
Federal case law thus far has sup- ported an employer’s right to discharge an employee for marijuana use, even if that employee were disabled according to the ADA.24 The ADA excludes from its protection “any employee or application who is currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs.”25 The ADA recognizes an employer’s right to test for drug use and to prohibit illegal drug use in the workplace.26 The federal government’s refusal to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I drug makes it likely that ADA protection will not be afforded to employees terminated for medical marijuana use.
Can a Colorado Injured Worker Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Use of Medical Marijuana?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and current federal law banning marijuana could be used as an argument for carriers not to pay for medical marijuana as a treatment for injured workers. Often pharmacy benefit managers have workers compensation prescription formularies that typically exclude marijuana as a permissible medication. However, carriers can still agree to pay for medical marijuana.
On the other side, federal law may not be enough to stop claims for payment for medical marijuana from coming into the workers compensation system. There are also concerns that the medication could impair injured workers while increasing compensation costs and lengthening the time period within which workers can re- turn to work. There is currently no determination that the increasingly acceptance of marijuana as a recognized treatment will increase the likelihood of its payment in the workers compensation arena. Furthermore, medical marijuana can be used in most jurisdictions under the radar of insurers, third-party administrators and pharmacy benefit managers. Workers compensation benefit systems vary from state to state, and many general employment and drug enforcement laws arise under state statutes.
Other questions: “Is the injury compensable if the claimant’s post-accident drug test is positive for marijuana?” Some states adopt the theory that marijuana is a dangerous controlled substance with no medical benefit under federal law, so it is illegal regardless of state law. Thus, if the employer can prove marijuana is the cause of the injury, most likely it is not a compensable claim. Whereas, other states adopt the theory that if marijuana is a legal medication under state law and properly prescribed or recommended by a licensed health care provider, the claimant is entitled to take it even if it was a cause of the injury, and thus, the injury is compensable. This is followed by the pervasive question-even though there was a positive drug test, how can it be determined if the claimant was impaired at the time of the accident?
Since impairment cannot currently be determined by a test and marijuana remains in the system long after it was ingested, how is it determined if marijuana was a cause of the accident?
Cases run the gamut. However, at this point most workers compensation panels or judges asked to determine if payers have to pay for medical marijuana have determined they do not have to pay. Issues that are being addressed are the lack of basis of paying for medical marijuana, no formal way to pay for it like there is for other medications, no reference to state fee schedules for re- imbursement, lack of standard billing practices, Medicare set-aside, to name a few.
In New Mexico, Mr. Maez suffered two back injuries in February and March, 2011 while working at Riley Industrial Services, Inc., insured by Chartis, Inc. Mr. Maez received temporary disability workers compensation benefits, and a workers compensation judge determined he was entitled to ongoing reasonable and necessary medical care. Mr. Maez’s physician authorized his use of medical marijuana after other treatments failed because, in part, Mr. Maez already tested positive for marijuana and would use it anyway. Thus, the workers compensation judge ruled that in this case medical marijuana was not reasonable and necessary because the physician did not “prescribe” it. However, the three judge panel for the New Mexico Court of Appeals unanimously reversed the decision January 13, 2015, finding that New Mexico’s compassionate use law allows Mr.
It is conceivable that an injured worker with a credible workers compensation claim who has a medical marijuana card to treat a compensable condition may be entitled to reimbursement for the medication. By example, a cancer patient with an accepted cancer claim has a medical marijuana card to stimulate appetite during chemotherapy, would have a pretty good chance of being compensated. However, at this time, that same worker could lose his job for testing positive for marijuana if a zero-tolerance drug policy is in effect with the employer even though the use was compensable under workers’ compensation.
Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, and it is illegal to prescribe, purchase, dis- tribute it in the United States.
Marijuana is not FDA approved.
Medical marijuana is not approved in the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG), American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), or any of the state treatment guidelines.
The status of marijuana as a Schedule I substance prohibits the assigning of a National Drug Code (NDC) or a procedure code for billing purposes.
Workers’ compensation carriers are not currently required to cover the cost in several states, including Colorado.
Workers’ compensation carriers need to establish medical marijuana policies so claim handlers use uniform standards rather than personal opinions.
Currently, the state of the law in Colorado is that an injured worker does not have to be compensated for medical marijuana. However, the state of the law is a moving target requiring frequent updates.
Can a Colorado Unemployed Worker Receive Unemployment Benefits for Being Terminated for Testing Positive for Marijuana at work?
In this rapidly evolving dance be- tween state and federal unemployment and marijuana law, states are divided on the issue whether or not an employee terminated for testing positive for marijuana in violation of the employer’s zero-tolerance drug policy when he has a valid and current medical marijuana card can collect unemployment benefits.
The Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the Industrial Claim Appeals Office (Panel) decision to disqualify Mr. Beinor from unemployment benefits under section C.R.S. §8-73- 108(5)(e)(IX.5) which allows for the disqualification of unemployment benefits with “The presence in an individual’s system, during working hours, of not medically prescribed controlled substances … as evidenced by a drug or alcohol policy of the employer and conducted by a medical facility or laboratory licensed or certified to conduct such tests.” Mr. Beinor was pro se. He had a valid medical marijuana card for severe headaches under Colo. Const. art. XVIII, Sec.
Furthermore, Mr. Beinor unsuccessfully argued that he had the right to use marijuana under the Colorado constitution and was, thus, not responsible for his separation from employment.
prove the “presence in an individual’s system, during working hours, of not medically prescribed controlled sub- stances.” Employer must produce evidence that the laboratory performing the drug test was licensed or certified as expressly required under C.R.S.
8-73-108(5)(e)(IX.5). The court was, furthermore, not persuaded by the employer’s assertion that this case is very similar to a precedential opinion issued by the Panel titled “Concerning Fault for Separation Caused by Off-the-Job Use of Medical Marijuana.” Department of Labor and Employment Reg. No.
The current state of Colorado law is that unemployment benefits are awarded on a case by case basis. However, there is law supporting the denial of unemployment benefits for a worker who tested positive for marijuana.
When is the last time the United States has undergone such an emerging shift in law, medicine, society, attitude and policy? The marijuana laws remain unsettled and are continuously being made and modified. Therefore, it is critical for the lawyer to research the latest and greatest, or not so greatest authority, before reliance.
Cathy A. Klein, M.S.N., M.S.Ed., R.N., A.P.N, J.D. is an attorney-mediator with Conflict Resolution Services, Inc., and in private practice. She is asked to mediate all aspects of marijuana, employment, personal injury, health care and hospital long-term care issues, to name a few.
1 Marijuana Drug Detection Time Chart by Medical Disposables, Inc., available at does-weed-stays-in-your-system-s/1835.htm.
2 State ex rel Montgomery v. Harris, 322 P.3d 160 (Ariz. 2014).
HS 812 072 (Nov. 2014), available at www.nhtsa.gov.
HS 811 268 (Dec. 2009), available at www.nhtsa.gov.
8 United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Commit- tees, “Drug-Impaired Driving: Additional Support Needed for Public Awareness Initiatives,” February, 2015.
12 C.R.S. § 24-34-402.5; Coats, 303 P.3d 147.
13 Coats, 303 P.3d 147.
16 Beinor v. Indus. Claim Apps. Ofc., 262 P.3d 970, 978 (Colo. App. 2011).
18 Coats, 303 P.3d at 157-158.
20 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq.
Coca-Cola Co., 119 F.3d 305, 320 (5th Cir. 1997); Robinson v. Global Marine Drilling Co., 101 F.3d 35, 36 (5th Cir. 1996).
22 Zenor, 176 F.3d at 862.
24 Collings v. Longview Fibre Co., 63 F.3d 828, 832-33 (9th Cir. 1995) (employer’s termination of employees who used, sold and purchased marijuana on company property was upheld on the basis that the discharge was the result of misconduct, not the employees’ claims of disability).
32 Cockrell v. Farmers Ins. Co. and Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 2012 Cal. Wrk. Comp.
Cathy Klein started her mediation practice 8 yrs. ago with skillful, compassionate and creative solutions to problems. Today she has a reputation of getting the job done effectively while using a creative approach tailored to each individual situation. She strives for solutions to complicated and intractable problems while using an effective and common sense approach. Cathy is resourceful, & a strategic thinker who responds to the shifting landscape of multi-party disputes. Cathy was named Mediator of the Year for Jefferson County in Colorado and listed in the Wall Street Journal as a Businessman of the Year.

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