Marijuana has come a long way since being completely illegal in the 1970s. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2019, around two-thirds of Americans believed marijuana should be legalized. To put that a different way that would be 57 percent.
Bob St. Clair, an Arizona attorney, said that his state will treat marijuana users the same as any “legal drug.” He gave “alcohol or cold medicine” as examples. He further stated that it would be safe to assume that “Employer workplace rules will not primarily change as a result of the recreational aspect.”
At this time employers are not required to accommodate or allow the use, possession, or consumption of marijuana in the workplace. St. Clair advised people to use marijuana in moderation.
If you show up at work and you’re obviously high, you’re going to get sent home just like if you show up at work and you’re obviously intoxicated.
Everyone knows that alcohol runs through a person’s system much faster than cannabis. This will be a huge factor to figure in for the workplace. Therefore one will have to really think before consuming cannabis products.
It is believed that Arizona will allow marijuana to be purchase for recreational purposes sometime in the spring of 2021. In September 2020, Colorado’s cannabis users purchased more than $206.4 million in marijuana products.
The year 2020 may have been riddled with concerns of COVID-19 and other ailments. However, cannabis seems to be able to make extreme headway. Colorado’s recreational sales were over $160 million during the month of September.
This gives hope for those who live in the states which have legalized cannabis. It will of course take a little while for those states to see a profit from marijuana sales. However, it is safe to assume that will not take too long.
States that have legalized marijuana do not allow one to drive while under the influence of the substance. In Maine patrons who partake in cannabis are not allowed to drive for at least five hours after consumption.
There are still many states that have not legalized cannabis for any purpose. However, some of those states have decriminalized some of their marijuana laws. For instance, North Carolina hands out fines for offenders in possession of cannabis.
However, anyone, who is caught with over 1.5 ounces on them will be charged with a federal crime. Some people are hoping that Congress will legalize cannabis on a federal level when they reconvene in December.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Pew Research Center: Support for marijuana legalization continues to rise; A.W. GEIGER
Kold News 13: Recreational marijuana rules in the workplace, driving expected to be similar to other legal drugs; Jasmine Ramirez
Colorado News: Colorado weed sales set to crush annual record, with another $200 million month in September; Tiney Ricciardi
Featured Image Courtesy of Joshua Wood’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Retinafunk’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
