Governor Youngkin signs legislation to protect jobs of medical cannabis using public employees

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) -Two bills signed into law by Governor Glenn Youngkin could help protect the jobs of public employees that use medical cannabis.

JM Pedini is the executive director of Virginia NORML, a group advocating to reform marijuana laws.

“While employment protections for medical cannabis patients who are private sector employees have been in effect for some time now,” Pedini said, “the law inadvertently excluded people who are employed by the state and localities. People like firefighters, teachers and even those who work for the state government.”

29News wanted to know what that means for those kinds of employees.

Beth Cheuk works with Charlottesville City Schools.

“We already encouraged people if they have a medical document situation,” Cheuk said,”We hope they’re working with their supervisor. We hope they’re working with human resources, because we want to support our staff who are in a medical tricky situation.”

Using marijuana to control chronic pain or anxiety is seen by many as better alternative than relying on some more dangerous prescription drugs.

“Across the commonwealth for three years now this legislation was really important,” Pedini said, “In particular to firefighters who haven’t seen significant benefits amongst their members who no longer have to use substances like opioids or reduce alcohol consumption when they have access to safe and regulated medical cannabis products.”

If an employee’s work is impaired because of cannabis use, employers can still take disciplinary actions against them.

29News asked Albemarle County Fire Department, Albemarle County Public Schools, and Charlottesville Fire Department for an interview and all three declined.

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