Safety experts: Congress should consider workplace safety implications of marijuana legalization
Occupational safety and health experts are urging the U.S. Congress to go slow and consider workplace safety when taking on the legalization of marijuana. Although recreational and medical marijuana are still prohibited under federal law, it is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia – and counting. That has created a patchwork of laws that address marijuana use and workplace safety that is “detrimental to employees, employers, and the general public,” according to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
“With most Americans living and working in states that allow some form of legal marijuana use, it is critical that safety be at the forefront of any policy discussions regarding the use of cannabinoids outside of the standard Food and Drug Administration approval process,” according to a statement issued by the group, Legalization of Marijuana – Implications for Workplace Safety. The statement was sent to all members of Congress last week.
The ACOEM, which is comprised of physicians and focused on the health of workers, safety of workplaces, and quality of environments, says the legalization of marijuana, has “huge public and workplace health implications.”