When recreational marijuana users gather on April 20 for Cannabis Day, they will have something else to celebrate: much anticipated legislation which decriminalizes marijuana in Canada. Last Thursday, the federal Liberal government tabled the Cannabis Act. While this legislation sets out the path forward for legalizing recreational marijuana, the responsibility for more detailed laws relating to distribution and sale will rest with the provinces. All of these moving parts are expected to come together by July, 2018. In the meantime, Canadian employers have questions about how to respond to this changing legal landscape. This uncertainty also extends, to a somewhat lesser degree, to the Canadian judicial system. Coincidentally, on April 3, 2017, an Ontario Superior Court judge declined to grant an injunction striking down a random drug testing policy sought by the union representing employees of the Toronto Transit Commission. [continues 596 words]
I did not inform my employer during a job interview that I used prescribed medical marijuana, but did ask our crew leader during my second shift if I could use it to combat pain I was feeling from walking all day (because of torn labrum in both hips). I explained that there is no THC in this marijuana - CBD only - so essentially it's impossible to be "high" or intoxicated. She was more than okay with me using the medicine, but after my second day on the job, her boss sent me a text message terminating my employment. What are, or were, my rights in this situation? [continues 603 words]
