The Virginia House of Delegates has approved a Senate-passed bill to protect public sector workers such as government officials and teachers from being fired for medical marijuana use.
The House advanced the legislation from Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D) in an 80-18 vote on Friday, sending it to the governor’s desk. If enacted into law, it would align the state’s medical cannabis employment policy for public workers with those that are already in place for the private sector.
However, the measure specifically exempts law enforcement officials from the protections.
Under the measure that’s heading to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), Virginia code would be amended to include the following language:
“No employer shall discharge, discipline, or discriminate against an employee for such employee’s lawful use of cannabis oil under the laws of the Commonwealth pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner for the treatment or to eliminate the symptoms of the employee’s diagnosed condition or disease.”
It also stipulates that the law would not prevent employers from taking adverse action against employees who are impaired on the job or possess cannabis on workplace premises.
A separate bill to provide medical marijuana employment protections for public sector workers was approved
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