New Mexico lawmakers have advanced a bill that would further protect medical marijuana patients in the state from being penalized at work for off-duty use of cannabis.
The House Health & Human Services Committee on Friday approved the legislation from House Majority Floor Leader Reena Szczepanski (D) in a 6-2 vote.
“Our first responders are dealing with stress, chronic pain, insomnia, and PTSD,” Szczepanski, who previously worked at the reform organization Drug Policy Alliance, told Marijuana Moment. “Barring them from using medical cannabis on their own time to manage symptoms is incredibly harmful and unnecessary. It’s time to make a change.”
Under the bill, an “employee shall not be considered to be impaired by cannabis solely because of the presence of metabolites or components of cannabis,” it says.
The measure would further prohibit random drug testing for marijuana, though patients could be screened if there’s reasonable suspicion that cannabis was used on the clock resulting in “significant damage to property.”
The committee on Friday adopted a minor amendment that replaces a line in the bill that had said a “drug test for cannabis shall be reviewed by a medical review officer who shall determine if the reason for a positive
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