Governor approves medical marijuana protections for public sector employees
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RICHMOND, Va. (WFXR) — Governor Glenn Youngkin approved employment protections for public sector workers on Monday, April 8.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 740,000 people in the Commonwealth work for the government.
An original law passed in 2021 protected employee rights to use medical marijuana but didn’t specifically include public servants like firefighters, something JM Pedini, development director with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says needed to be fixed.
“We’ve heard from firefighters across the state who’ve found benefits using medical cannabis and either found they couldn’t or they were terminated,” they said.
Reaction to Governor Youngkin’s veto of legalizing retail marijuana
The law approved Monday does not apply to law enforcement officials.
Employment protections for medical marijuana use has its opponents too.
“It’s still illegal at a federal level which I think puts employers in between a rock and a hard place,” said Jordan Davidson, government affairs manager with Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
The bill passed the Senate in February with 30 yeas to 10 nays; it passed the House 80 to 18. It goes into effect July 1.
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