The U.S. Department of Labor announced a series of anticipated regulatory actions it said are designed to ensure the well-being of workers and employers as they concern economic relief, wages, climate change and racial equity.
Laws in 20 states prohibit employers from discriminating against workers because of their medical pot use. But as evidenced by McCarty s case, there are no explicit workplace protections for medical marijuana users in Florida. Instead, the state statute on medical pot upholds an employer s right to enforce a drug-free workplace and doesn t require companies to accommodate workers medical marijuana use. Two bills introduced in the Florida Legislature would have changed that, but both failed. The first, introduced in 2019 by state Rep. Tina Polsky of Boca Raton, would have barred employers from discriminating against, firing, demoting, or taking any other adverse personnel action against any employee who is a card-carrying pot user. The bill included exceptions for people performing safety-sensitive job duties, such as operating machinery, fighting fires, driving, handling hazardous materials, carrying a firearm, or caring for children and patients.