With the legalization of medical marijuana and the recent move towards recreational cannabis use in Connecticut, employees and employers alike face new challenges regarding drug testing policies. For individuals with medical marijuana card, understanding how drug testing works in the workplace is essential, as it impacts job security and legal rights.
This article will explore the intersection between drug testing policies and medical marijuana cardholders in Connecticut. We will cover how drug testing works, employer rights, employee protections, and what individuals need to know about their medical marijuana status at work. Additionally, we’ll discuss the role of telemedicine in obtaining a medical marijuana card and provide insights into how employees can submit their own application for a marijuana card with the help of certified healthcare provider online.
Learning about Drug Testing Laws in Connecticut
In Connecticut, employment drug testing is acceptable given that it forms the basis of many employers’ workplace safety plans. Such policies may differ across industries; however, the intent is to prove that a worker is suitable for returning to work, most especially where he or she may pose a risk to his or her own life or the lives of others at the workplace or despite a workplace incident affecting their qualifications to work, such as those in healthcare, transportation or construction industries.
Reasons Why Employers Undertake Drug Testing
Drug test at the workplace is normally conducted for matters of safety, output, and legal obligations. Employers might require drug testing in various situations, including:
- Pre-employment Screening: Often, employers request an applicant for a new position to undergo a drug test before joining the company to avoid engaging drug addicts.
- Random Testing: However, on the spot and random drug tests are carried out by some employers when hiring, especially when the industry is safety sensitive.
- Post-Accident Testing: Some employers may request a drug test when an employee is involved in an accident at work to determine whether substances caused the accident.
- Reasonable Suspicion Testing: Should an employer suspect that an employee is high, they are allowed to give him or her a drug test for him or her to be expelled.
These tests are often used to detect such things as marijuana, opium, amphetamines and alcohol.
Connecticut State Laws protecting Employees and medical Marijuana
Although Connecticut has some statutes regulating the use of medical marijuana in the workplace, it is important to look at the Palliative Use of Marijuana Act (PUMA) with special detail. However, such protections are not absolute and can be advocacy which employees must know how the use of medical marijuana in relation to drug testing affects them in their workplace.
Safeguards for cardholder of Medical Marijuana
In PUMA, the employer is not allowed to discriminate against employees or those who apply for a job because they are registered medical marijuana users. This means that an employer is not allowed to terminate an employee or deny him/her a job opportunity because of possession of a medical marijuana card. However, there are some exemptions to this rule, especially where an employee offered the special treatment is to work under conditions that would impact the safety of other persons or property.
You probably won’t get a drug test because of an exception related to safety-sensitive job duties.
Professionals who are engaged in federally regulated sectors like transport, aviation or any risk-sensitive occupation might still be allowed to be tested for drugs. Suppose an employee has a card to use medical marijuana. In that case, they are able to get fired if they work in a place that makes them submit to drug tests as per federal law since marijuana is categorized as a Schedule I substance.
Employer’s Rights and Marijuana Use in the Workplace
Employees that have a medical marijuana card do have some legal protections under state law; however, employers do still have rights, especially compared to drug-free workplace rights. It helps to understand both rights of employees and obligations of employers while dealing with the drug testing in Connecticut.
Zero-Tolerance Drug Policies
There are employers who have come up with strict ‘no use’ policies based on drug and substance that does not allow even medical marijuana. Under these circumstances, legal use of pot augments employees with the medical marijuana card and yet they stand to lose their jobs once they test positive to marijuana. Any employer having such polices then needs to ensure that these policies are communicated well to employees as they also need to conform to the Connecticut law.
Accessibility for Medical Marijuana Patients
Connecticut medical use law does not oblige employers to permit the consumption of marijuana while on business or on working hours. This means then that even if employees go off to work containing medical marijuana, they have to conform to the existing standards of what is acceptable regarding functioning under the influence. The employers have not carry the burden of permitting the employees to be 0felled by marijuana while at work.
How Drug Testing Impacts Medical Marijuana Patients
As for medical marijuana cardholders it is vital to learn how drug testing works and its relevance to theirs’s employment stability. Marijuana is present in the body for several days or weeks, as is the case with most other drugs, and therefore employees may actually test positive even if they are not currently high.
What are the consequences of Flunking a Drug Test?
When an employee’s drug test comes back positive for marijuana, the results are varied and depend on the employer’s specific policies and the employee’s position. In some situations the employee may be permitted to justify use of the substance especially if the same has valid prescription. However, in safety-sensitive organizations or states or countries that do not allow the use of medicinal marijuana in any form, a positive drug test means you can be fired instantly.
How Telemedicine Has Made It Easier to Obtain a Marijuana Card
With the help of telemedicine, it became much easier to get a medical marijuana card in Connecticut. Instead of physically going to a physician, people can now talk with professional physicians online in order to get a recommendation for medical marijuana. This makes it even more suitable for the working employees as those who would wish to attend to their health issues from time to time.
Telemedicine for Recommending Marijuana
- Convenient Access: Telemedicine is a model of consultation that enables patients to arrange an appointment with qualified health care practitioners from the privacy of their home or workplace.
- Quick and Efficient: Most telemedicine service providers can prescribe marijuana within 24 hours, meaning patients will not have to wait for long to get their marijuana recommendation.
- Affordable Pricing: Lately, in Connecticut, the cost of telemedicine consultations for marijuana recommendations are $179 for new patients and $149 for yearly renewals. Due to this, telemedicine becomes a cheaper solution for whoever wants to try medical marijuana.
Guidelines to Submit an Application to Receive Your Own Marijuana Card
The application for a medical card by the individual follows marijuana recommendation through a certified healthcare provider through telemedicine.
Here’s how to do it:
- Consult with a Certified Healthcare Provider Online: Make an online consultation with a healthcare professional who will be in a position to diagnose your medical situation and recommend marijuana if needed.
- Receive Your Marijuana Recommendation: In case the healthcare provider certifies that you fit the bill, they will provide a recommendation, which is mandatory when applying for your medical marijuana card.
- Submit Your Application Online: After you have gotten my recommendation, you can apply on the website of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). They have to fill out two forms, proving ID, residency, and a recommendation letter from the prescriber.
- Await Approval: Upon submission of your application, it will be evaluated. When approved, you get your medical marijuana card through which you obtain marijuana for medical purposes from licensed shops.
Conclusion
employee rights with employer responsibilities. As for employment, there remain some contours of workplace freedoms that encompass marijuana cardholders: The PUMA notwithstanding, employers have the statutory prerogative to keep workplaces free of cannabis and even to enforce drug testing where a workplace is generic.
To be more precise, the Amended Act does expressly protect from personnel sanctions, the medical marijuana cardholder who is employed ‘in a safety-sensitive position,’ and who tests positive for marijuana use,
If, for instance, you are among those with medical marijuana cards, it is prudent to go through your company’s drug testing policy to avoid provoking conflict. Telemedicine has ensured that marijuana card prescriptions can be easily accessed online and that any application can also be made online.
If you think medical marijuana will improve your health and you want to know if you can, please call us to set up a telemedicine appointment with a medical marijuana-certifying physician today. The consultation fees are $179 for initial appointments while existing patients can book their follow-up appointment for $149 per year. Telemedicine is the fastest, most affordable, and most importantly, confidential way to approach your health.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I be fired for using medical marijuana in Connecticut?
While Connecticut law protects medical marijuana cardholders from discrimination, employers in safety-sensitive industries or those with zero-tolerance policies may still terminate employees who fail drug tests for marijuana.
Does my employer have to accommodate my medical marijuana use?
No, Connecticut law does not require employers to accommodate medical marijuana use during work hours or on the job site.
How can I get a medical marijuana card in Connecticut?
You can consult with a certified healthcare provider online through telemedicine, receive a marijuana recommendation, and submit your application through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
What is the cost of a telemedicine consultation for a marijuana recommendation?
The consultation costs $179 for new patients and $149 for yearly renewals.
What happens if I fail a drug test due to medical marijuana?
The consequences depend on your employer’s drug testing policy. In safety-sensitive jobs, a failed drug test may lead to termination, even if you have a medical marijuana card.
