Medical marijuana a reality in the workplace

Christina Martens/Wetaskiwin Times


As medical marijuana use becomes a more common treatment for many ailments, employers and supervisors need to be aware of its use among employees.

Last week, the Private Motor Truck Council and Wetaskiwin Home Hardware’s Western Distribution Centre hosted a seminar with Dr. Barry Kurtzer, medical director and Chief Medical Review Officer of Drivercheck Inc., which provides workplace drug testing and assessments.

The Ontario doctor told attendees that society has to change how it views marijuana use, that people who use medical marijuana don’t fit the pot head stereotypes of illegal marijuana users.

“This is a rapidly evolving issue both in the domain of medicine and the domain of law,” he said.
As Health Canada, the Canadian College of Family Physicians and the federal government work to put guidelines and policies in place, employers need to start thinking about medical marijuana use among their employees and how it affects workplace health and safety.

“Medical marijuana is now a viable, beneficial form of treatment,” said Kurtzer. “The rest of the world is watching Canada as we develop medical marijuana laws.”

Explaining that marijuana has been used around the world for thousands of years, if used in a medically controlled treatment plan it can be “benign and helpful” with little chance for overdoses or lethal toxic effects because it does not impact the respiratory system the way opiates do.

“Side effects can be managed by dosage adjustment,” he said.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant.

While it is the THC is marijuana that causes the high, in medical marijuana strains the focus is on CBD levels which doesn’t make users high or anxious and can be used to treat and number of illnesses, like HIV/ AIDS, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, nausea from chemotherpahy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, arthritis, insomnia and anxiety.

Side-effects can include getting high, anxiety, changes in short-term memory, sensory perception and mood changes, cognitive functions, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular issues and can also trigger episodes in schizophrenics or patients with biploar disorder, Kurtzer said those can be dealt with by a doctor’s monitoring and can be managed.

“This is why proper history and follow-up is vital,” he said.

Being used under a doctor’s care, Kurtzer said medical marijuana is no different, for example, than Tylenol 3 where some people can take the recommended dose and feel no side effects while others only take one and can’t function.

A significant number of people, however, are still opting to get their drugs from the streets because it’s easier than dealing with the government’s complicated approvals process, he said.

A recent poll showed there are at least 2.4 million marijuana users in Canada. That 1.6 per cent are recognized medical marijuana users, 16.1 per cent are non-recognized users and 82.3 are illegal users.

In addition to medical follow-up, employers and supervisors need to be aware of who is using medical marijuana and keep and eye out for changes to behaviour, moods and abilities.

“Be aware of the warning signs,” he said. “It’s not up to you to be a diagnostician but you do need to be aware if someone is off their game.”

That means also have an action plan in place to deal with health and safety issues and drug testing so as to minimize Worker’s Compensation Board preventable cases, prevent General Disability incidents, protect the business’s image while complying with ever-changing regulations.

Following his presentation, Kurtzer helped those in attendance develop action plans for their workplace.