Legislation in Utah clarifies that private employers are not required to allow their employees to use medical cannabis, according to a Deseret News report.
The change is part of several proposed changes to Utah’s medical cannabis law, which the legislature is considering during this year’s legislative session.
The provision regarding employers’ policies on medical cannabis use has sparked some debate among medical cannabis advocates, Deseret News reported, with some questioning why cannabis will be treated differently than any other prescribed medication.
The original version of S.B.121 did not include a requirement for private employers to accommodate medical cannabis use, according to the news outlet, but Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers said that was not clear enough in the law’s language. The bill aims to provide this clarification.
Other provisions in the bill would expunge the criminal records of patients who were prosecuted in the past for cannabis possession, as well as remove a requirement that cannabis flower must be sold in a blister pack. The legislation also attempts to tackle testing for drivers under the influence of cannabis and removes an existing cap on the number of cannabis patients each doctor can have.
The legislation is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Feb. 18, Deseret News reported.
