In January of 2022, a worker in a Massachusetts cannabis cultivation facility died because of “the hazards of ground cannabis dust,” according to a report issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).
Husch Blackwell’s Labor & Employment team issued a legal alert containing guidelines for employers as more states legalize marijuana. Employers should review the state laws in the jurisdictions in which they operate, understand their rights, and consider adopting the practices outlined in the update by Timothy Hilton and Jenna Brofsky.
According to data by Quest Diagnostics, marijuana use in the workforce is on the rise. Usage increased 10% last year to 2.3% of the U.S. workforce according to an analysis of 10 million urine, saliva and hairs samples. In a post on Husch Blackwell’s Safety Law Matters blog, Donna Pryor explains the safety hazards involved
Husch Blackwell’s Donna Pryor, Partner, was featured in the March edition of Coal Age discussing considerations for workplace policies related to medical marijuana. Donna takes a look at a few of the latest, leading cases and discusses considerations for employers.
Read the full article here.
Some cannabis cultivators and manufacturers believe they are exempt from OSHA visits because the Federal government does not recognize cannabis as a legal drug. On June 19, 2018, a worker in a California cannabis manufacturing facility was using propane to extract oil from cannabis flowers. The propane ignited and exploded, leaving the employee with serious injuries. The
Husch Blackwell employment law attorney Chris Ottele was featured in the November 7, 2018 issue of the Kansas City Business Journal. Chris speaks about potential employer issues posed by medical marijuana as Missouri voters have signed off on legalizing medical marijuana. Read the full article here.
On Thursday, March 30, the Cannabis team at Husch Blackwell will host a cannabis seminar highlighting OSHA safety regulations. In January of 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released the “Guide to Worker Safety and Health in the Marijuana Industry.” This seminar will take a deeper look at this document and discuss
A favorable ruling from the Ninth Circuit in United States v. McIntosh is a reassuring win for the medical marijuana industry. This federal case concluded that § 542 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibits DOJ from spending money on actions that prevent medical marijuana states giving practical effect to their state laws that authorize
On June 10, 2016, Governor Hickenlooper signed bill 16-040 which removes the Colorado two year residency requirement to obtain a marijuana business owner license, ultimately easing the burden for prospective out-of-state investors to become owners. The Colorado General Assembly’s intent in creating this bill was to provide marijuana businesses with the economic capabilities to grow
President Obama approved the 2016 federal budget and it contained a prohibition that none of the funds made available to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to any of the States that have state-legal medical marijuana programs, to prevent any of them from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution,