Half-Baked -- Cannabis and the Workplace

In 2021, New Jersey passed the CREAMMA law which legalized the recreational use of cannabis in the State of New Jersey.  Labor practitioners have spent the last several years awaiting guidance on the section of that law which authorizes employers to implement zero-tolerance drug policies but requires employers not to discriminate against recreational cannabis users so long as they are not impaired in the workplace.  The yet-unresolved issue from that statutory provision was the creation of a Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert (W.I.R.E.).   In recent months, the Cannabis Regulatory Committee has issued guidance for employers concerning suspicion-based drug testing and the use of a form by designated employees to determine if an employee is impaired in the workplace.  In the world of law enforcement, there has been debate and confusion concerning whether officers, who carry weapons, should still be subjected to random drug testing and whether they may be disciplined for recreational, off-the-job, use of cannabis.

In this program, our panel of practitioners who are at the forefront of the evolution of cannabis law as it affects the workplace will handle these issues and answer your questions. Additionally, the following is being provided:
NJ CLE CREDITS:  1.2  (Application pending for New Jersey attorneys)

MODERATOR:

Jonathan F. Cohen, Esq.
Plosia Cohen LLC

PANELISTS:

Carole Lynn Nowicki, Esq. – KSBranigan Law P.C.
“An overview of CREAMMA and its impact on the workplace”.

Michael Peter Rubas, Esq. –  Rubas Law Offices
“Protecting employees from unlawful discrimination based on perceived use of cannabis”.
              
Arthur R. Thibault, Jr., Esq. – Apruzzese, McDermott, Mastro & Murphy
“Managing a unionized workplace, including with law enforcement officers, in the era of legal cannabis.”